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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Speaking is considered a major challenge in foreign language learning and communication by many students and, unarguably, it is one of the most important skills to develop in the EFL classroom. However, helping students acquire oral performance in the foreign language is not always an easy task. According to Aoki, S. (2014: 130): “voice recording tools have been introduced and used in a variety of ways in language instruction in an attempt to provide learners with opportunities to produce oral output,” nevertheless, classroom practice and research show that these present not only opportunities, but also challenges for both teachers and learners. Ultimately aiming to help students’ speaking skills performance, this study explores the use of voice recorder apps in different pedagogical tasks (Nunan, 2004), which were used in a B1 EFL class at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa over one semester. Students were asked to make their own recordings and invited to reflect on the process of oral language acquisition by means of self-reflection charts. Data collection was based on the recordings, the students’ charts and a final evaluation questionnaire in order to assess whether motivation tools such as smartphone voice recording apps can be used to help create language awareness, allowing “the student to reflect on the process of language acquisition, learning and language use” (Bilash and Tulasiewicz, 1995: 49), which will in turn help learners gain confidence and enhance their speaking skills.
Description
Keywords
ICT Voice recorder apps EFL Speaking skills Language awareness
Citation
Publisher
Universidade Aberta