Facilitating Self-Regulation with Mobile Devices to Improve Spoken Interaction

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of self-regulation with mobile devices on spoken interaction in twenty-seven students at a public university in Guayaquil-Ecuador. This action research lasted six weeks and included mixed methods, collecting data from pre and posttests, interviews, self-reflections, and field notes. The participants were trained to self-assess their spoken interactions using the rubric. The rubric components included grammar/vocabulary, pronunciation, and interactive communication. The participants created scripted dialogues simulating real-life scenarios, videotaped them using their mobile devices, and self-assessed their performances. Quantitative results revealed a large effect size (Cohen´s d= 0.82) and statistical significance (p < .05). Qualitative analysis showed that students had a positive perspective of the innovation, that self-assessment was key to developing learner autonomy, that pair work motivated learners to speak, and that mobile assisted language learning was a useful tool to monitor their learning. This article concluded that cell phones support self-regulation and are beneficial to improve learning outcomes and promote learner autonomy. These results could have implications for teachers aiming at improving spoken interaction, EFL learning, as well as developing learner autonomy. This author encourages further research about selfregulation strategies for an extended period using a control group