A Metainvestigation of Speaking Skills: Practice, Feedback, and Self-Directed Efforts

Shoba Kanare Nandagopal; Ruth Sara Philip

doi:10.1109/tpc.2023.3251140

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2023

A Metainvestigation of Speaking Skills: Practice, Feedback, and Self-Directed Efforts

Shoba Kanare Nandagopal Anna University, Chennai ; Ruth Sara Philip Anna University, Chennai

Abstract

<bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background: Fluent and accurate speaking is an essential set of skills that engineering students strive to achieve, as they can lead to better job placement and a promising future. This article documents a speaking assessment carried out among 120 engineering students who have undergone two semesters of Technical English courses in the final year of their study. The students from diverse departments opted for the English for Competitive Exams elective course to improve their English language proficiency. The objective of the elective is to train the learners in essential language components for facing high-stakes competitive exams with an integrated language skills approach. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Literature review: This linguistics-focused study documents a cluster strategy, a pedagogical attempt at speaking, with a culminating self-reflection phase. The strategy cluster was thoughtfully designed and integrated throughout the semester to enhance the students' speaking competency. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research questions: 1. How do learners perceive the effectiveness of speaking skills practice given to them in the online sessions? 2. What benefits through feedback have learners achieved during these sessions? 3. How do students perceive the role of self-directed efforts toward improving their speaking skills? <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methods: Students were trained on speaking skills as part of a semester-long online course, and an assessment for speaking skills was designed in which students answered 10 self-reflective questions about their perception and usefulness of practice, feedback from the instructor and peers, and self-directed efforts. Each student's recorded audio file of an average of 11 minutes 24 seconds was uploaded to the learning management system (LMS) as part of the assessment. A qualitative and interpretative investigation of their answers reflecting their learning experiences during the semester, based on the activities and self-regulation, and their self-rating were analyzed thematically. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Results and discussion: The findings of the metainvestigation show significantly valuable insights with potential implications on the language teachers’ perception of teaching speaking skills in the classroom, especially in the current online environment. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Conclusions: We conclude that using the strategy cluster comprising practice, feedback, and self-directed efforts with a culminating phase of oral self-reflection is highly beneficial in developing speaking skills in engineering courses focusing on technical communication.

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published: 2023-06-01
DOI: 10.1109/tpc.2023.3251140
CompPile
Open Access: Closed
Topics: writing pedagogy teacher development assessment technical communication online writing instruction
Export: BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (84) · 1 in this index

pratiwi (0)

The role of English for engineering students to face the industrial revolution

Proc Eng Conf
10.1111/j.1944-9720.2009.01013.x

↗
khusna (2021)

Engineering students are also required to speak English
10.1080/02602938.2015.1032212

↗
afiat (2021)

Great impact of English for engineering students

Eur J Eng Educ

Show all 84 →

10.1109/ICCSN.2011.6013705

↗
10.1109/ISBEIA.2012.6422957

↗
10.1111/j.1944-9720.2006.tb02899.x

↗
10.1080/09571736.2021.2023612

↗
10.1111/lang.12433

↗
pandey (2014)

Better English for better employment opportunities

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach and Studies
10.1109/WEEF.2017.8466978

↗
latha (2014)

Role of English language for engineering students

Am Int J Res Humanit Arts Soc Sci
10.1080/03634523.2018.1468915

↗
brown (2007)

Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy
10.1109/TALE.2017.8252338

↗
10.1109/ICSLP.1996.607073

↗
10.1353/hpn.2011.0066

↗
10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101073

↗
mariani (1994)

Developing strategic competence: Towards autonomy in oral interaction

Perspectives
10.1002/9781119474913.ch9

↗
10.1017/S026144482000018X

↗
10.1017/S0272263121000358

↗
10.1080/02602938.2015.1042426

↗
harmer (2007)

The Practice of English Language Teaching
richards (2007)

Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms
williams (2005)

Teaching Writing in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms
10.1109/ICEIT.2010.5607568

↗
10.1111/j.1944-9720.2005.tb02452.x

↗
10.2307/803265

↗
Kim et al. (2014)

Seeking an Effective Program to Improve Communication Skills of Non-English-Spe…

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
10.1109/EDUCON45650.2020.9125208

↗
estrin (1959)

The role of English in industry as observed by evening engineering students

Cea Critic
10.17265/1539-8072/2015.11.004

↗
10.1080/09571736.2015.1010448

↗
10.1080/00193089.1964.10532359

↗
patil (2008)

Rethinking the objectives of teaching English in Asia

Asian English Foreign Lang J
10.1007/s11409-012-9086-z

↗
williams (2007)

Psychology for Language Teachers A Social Constructivist Approach
10.1017/S0261444820000397

↗
10.1017/S0261444820000488

↗
10.1017/S0272263100012924

↗
10.1016/j.ieri.2012.06.180

↗
10.1177/1362168819876156

↗
10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.036

↗
10.1002/ace.7408

↗
(2022)

Speak it out
10.1109/T4E.2010.5550100

↗
10.21608/amj.2021.197515

↗
goleman (1998)

Working With Emotional Intelligence
10.9756/IAJIR/V9I2/IAJIR0911

↗
wardiyah (2018)

The implementation of self-reflection strategy to increase students’ speaking skil…
10.1007/978-981-10-0954-9_36

↗
10.2505/4/jcst16_045_06_87

↗
10.1007/978-3-662-65909-0_5

↗
10.1037/a0017850

↗
lazaraton (2001)

Teaching oral skills

Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language
10.1109/FIE.1995.483176

↗
vieira (2009)

Struggling for Autonomy in Language Education Reflecting Acting and Being
10.24093/awej/vol12no1.2

↗
du (2013)

Student perspective of self-directed learning

Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02673.x

↗
10.1023/A:1010986404527

↗
10.1093/elt/ccv018

↗
10.1080/03634520009379222

↗
10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060227

↗
10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0256

↗
10.2991/iconelt-17.2018.2

↗
saleem (2014)

Use of e-learning and its effect on students

New Media Mass Commun
10.1038/s41563-020-0678-8

↗
10.1177/074171369704800103

↗
cohen (2004)

Styles and Strategies-Based Instruction A Teachers’ Guide
10.1109/ISEC52395.2021.9763942

↗
10.1007/s11409-020-09224-w

↗
10.1177/1362168819829021

↗
10.36232/jurnalpendidikanbahasa.v8i2.1146

↗
10.1017/S0272263121000073

↗
10.1093/elt/ccw065

↗
rahmawati (2021)

The effect of e-learning on students speaking skill progress: A case of the seventh grade…

Indones EFL J
10.1108/PRR-08-2020-0026

↗
10.36892/ijlls.v1i3.79

↗
tseng (2019)

The impact of video and written feedback on student preferences of English speaking practice

Lang Learn Technol
10.4304/tpls.2.4.673-679

↗
10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104271

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network → Build reading path →

A Metainvestigation of Speaking Skills: Practice, Feedback, and Self-Directed Efforts

Abstract

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

References (84) · 1 in this index

Related Articles