Facilitating Self-regulation with Mobile Devices to Improve Speaking Skills in High School Students in Ecuador

Abstract

This study aimed at measuring the impact of self-regulation facilitated with mobile devices in order to improve speaking skills. The innovation lasted for six weeks and involved twenty-four students in the first year of baccalaureate in a bilingual school in Manta-Ecuador. They had CEFR B1 level and showed difficulty to express themselves orally. Action research was conducted applying pretests and posttests. The participants were made aware of self-regulation strategies; they were encouraged to make improvement plans; and they were trained to assess their speaking skills using the Cambridge B1 Analytical Scale. They made videos using their mobile devices and assessed their performance on the videos. Quantitative results revealed that the intervention was significant to a medium extent in the students’ interactive communication, Cohen’s d = 0.4; and that their acquisition of self-assessment skills enabled them to commit to improvement. Qualitative results demonstrated that motivation to participate orally in class increased and that the self-regulation strategies helped them enhance interaction. These findings have implications for language teachers and curriculum designers. Teaching self-assessment skills to students would show them how to improve; self-regulation would help them become more autonomous learners; and the use of mobile devices would increase their motivation.