Innovation in Language Learning

The quality of teaching English as a foreign or second language has been significantly improved all over the world by the use of different technologies such as PowerPoint slides. However, the number of studies on the efficiency and applicability of PowerPoint slides in EFL contexts is very small, and the effects of using voice-over slides as a self-study instructional package have not been studied so far. Given the vast presence of technological aids in the process of teaching and learning, it seems quite logical to promote autonomy among the learners and decrease their dependence on their teachers by encouraging the use of self-study packages, a good example of which is voice-over slides. This comparative study investigated the effects of employing mute versus voice-over slides in CLIL courses. The participants consisted of 28 MA students within the age range of 22-45. They were randomly assigned to two experimental groups, both studying their Advanced Testing Course. The members of the first group received mute slides on two lengthy chapters of their course books on test construction procedures and language testing eras. The slides were presented by the professor in the class over six weeks. The second group studied the same chapters through using the same collection of slides but with the voice of the same professor recorded on each slide over six weeks. After the treatment, both groups received a post-test on the covered areas. The voice-over group also filled in an attitude questionnaire towards the use of voice-over slides at the end of the course. The process of data analysis demonstrated no statistically significant difference between the achievement scores of the students on the posttest. This finding underscores the value of teaching with voice-overs as useful alternatives to more conventional resources (mute slides) and draws attention to the relative merits of embedding voice-overs in online learning tasks in settings when teaching in the class is not a possible option. Moreover, the responses of the students to the questionnaire revealed their positive attitude towards the use of this self-study tool.

Key Words: CLIL, Digital Compretence, Mute Slides, Online learning, Self-study, Voice-over Slides.

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