Chouichi Loubna

‫الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية‬
‫وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي‬
BADJI MOKHTAR ANNABA-UNIVERSITY ‫جامعة باجي مختار – عنابة‬

Faculty of Letters, Social and Human Sciences ‫كلية اآلداب والعلوم اإلنسانية واالجتماعية‬
Department of English ‫قسم اللغة االنجليزية‬
Domain: Foreign Languages

Branch: English Language
Major: Language Sciences
Investigating the Efficiency of Information and

Communication Technologies in Developing the Speaking Skill
during COVID19
The Case of Master 2 students- Language Sciences
A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of English in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Master Degree in Language Sciences.
Submitted by Supervised by
Loubna CHOUICHI Dr. Nesrine GHAOUAR
Amira MOUMENE
Board of Examiners
Chairwoman:
MCB Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University
Dr. Aicha SELLAM
Supervisor:
Dr. Nesrine GHAOUAR MCA Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University
Examiner:
Mrs. Souaad BEROUK MAA Badji Mokhtar-Annaba University
Academic Year: 2020/2021

I
Dedication 1
This dissertation is dedicated to:
My beloved parents, for their support and care, and for being the first teachers
in my life. May ALLAH bless you.
My two siblings, Ing.Abd el Moumen & Dr.Lina, I am proud of you both.
My one and only best friend, the beautiful, the gorgeous, the cute, the best
person to ever exist, Soundes Guemiche, with whom I have been always
sharing my life.
Fayçal Benguetib, for his support, motivation, and patience during the work.
Feriel, Imed, Jihene, and Tobi, for building my life breeding ground for fun
and jokes.
To my online friends, for cheering me up with memes.
To everyone who ever bore my offensive sarcasm.
To my friend and binominal Amira Moumene, we shared five years full of
experiences and life-long lessons. We have always been like “twins,” never
one without the other, and this is our secret to success and go through all these
battles.
Chouichi Loubna
II
Dedication 2
I dedicate this dissertation to:
My treasured parents who raised me well, supported me and always believed in
me.
My two beloved sisters and brother, Marwen, Sabrine, and Raja for being there for
me each time I turned to them.
For my source of happiness and joy my four gorgeous and sweet nephews and
nieces, Iness, Assil, Adam, and Idriss may Allah bless them.
My two best, loyal, warm, cute, and real friends Hadjer and Riheb for always
cheering me up, and encouraging me to do more and more.
A special dedication to my binominal Loubna Chouichi for sharing with me five
years full of all kinds of feelings, emotions, and unforgettable experiences, a friend
who bore my ridiculous jokes and thoughts. We never resisted a single session
without each other and I guess as she said that is why they call us the inseparable
twins. Without forgetting my dear friend Narimen, the most pure and cute friend I
have ever had.
Finally, to the memory of Tata Nadia, a woman I wished to meet and thank her for
giving birth to the most affectionate person I ever known, Okba.
Moumene Amira
III
Acknowledgment
First and foremost, praise and thanks to ALLAH for his showers of blessings and patience to
successfully complete the research.
Furthermore, sincere and special gratitude to our great teacher and supervisor, Dr. Nesrine
Ghaouar; we are deeply thankful for her support, guide, motivation, dynamism, vision,
sincerity, professionalism, and for being always present to provide all the needed and helpful
supplies at every single point in the research. She taught us the methodology to carry out the
research also to present it as clearly as possible. We would like to thank her for being a good
teacher in the previous years too, which will affect our future professional careers for she taught
as to be a good and active teachers.
We would like to thank the examiners for their time and energy to read and evaluate our work, as
well as for their valuable evaluation and comments.
We also thank the teachers and the students who collaborated in this research.
We wish to express our genuine respect and appreciation for all the teachers we ever had the
chance to learn from, namely, teacher Rahil Dellali.

IV
Abstract
This work aims at investigating English as Foreign Language (EFL) students’ experience of
learning through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) during COVID19
confinement and its influence on their speaking skill in addition to the main obstacles faced. Two
research tools were used to conduct this study. Students’ questionnaire was administered to
Master Two EFL students option Science of Language at the English department of Badji
Mokhtar University of Annaba-Algeria, and teacher’s interview with oral expression teachers of
English at the same department. The collected results revealed that the experience of learning via
ICTs during the COVID19 confinement influenced positively to a certain extent the students’
speaking skill, which denied the first the hypothesis. Further, the study highlighted many
obstacles that confirmed the second hypothesis concerning the technical problems, as highlighted
additional obstacles such as the unfamiliarity with the new process, the nature of the platforms
used, the low technological literacy, the lack of devices, and the timing and duration of the
sessions.
Key words: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Speaking skill, COVID19.
V
List of Abbreviations
ABC: Atanasoff-Berry Computer.
APS: Algeria Press Service.
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation.
CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning.
CLT: Communicative Language Teaching.
COVID19: Corona Virus Disease of 2019.
EFL: English as a Foreign Language.
ETF: European Training Foundation.
FLL: Foreign Language Learning.
FLT: Foreign Language Training.
FL: Foreign Language.
ICT: Information and Communication Technology.
ICTs: Information and Communication Technologies.
IBM: International Business Machine.
IT: Information Technology.
MALL: Mobile Assisted Language Learning.
ML: Mobile Learning.
TEFL: Teaching English as Foreign Language.
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
WHO: World Health Organization.

VI
List of tables
Table 1: The difference between online, distance and blended learning…………11
Table 2: Modern FLL VS Traditional FLL……………………………………….18
Table 3: Students’ Age……………………………………………………………58
Table 4: Students’ level in speaking skill…………………………………………59
Table 5: Students’ opinion on the utility of ICTs in learning…………………….61
Table 6: Students’ views concerning facing difficulties in oral presentations…...65
Table 7: Students’ point of view on the effectiveness of the used ICT tools…….68
Table 8: Students’ opinion on the online learning experience during COVID19

confinement…………………………………………………………………….…70
Table 9: Students’ perception about the role of the teacher and learner during COVID19
confinement……………………………………………………………72
Table 10: Students’ perception on online and face-to-face presentations………... 75
Table 11: Students’ perceptions on speaking skill and ICTs………………………77

VII
List of Figures:
Figure 1: ICTs application in EFL learning……………………………………….23
Figure 2: Speaking skill components……………………………………………..34
Figure 3: Speaking skill classroom organization…………………………………39
Figure 4: Online learning characteristics…………………………………………49
Figure 5: Students’ level in English………………………………………………59
Figure 6: Students’ most familiar learning shape…………………………………60
Figure 7: Students’ rate of using ICTs in their learning…………………………...60
Figure 8: ICT devices and tools used by the students…………………………….61
Figure 9: Students’ views towards the actual use of ICTs inside their classrooms..64
Figure 10: Students’ frequency in participating in oral sessions in the classroom..64
Figure 11: Students’ core challenges in oral presentation………………………..65
Figure 12: Students’ opinion about the main objective to learn speaking skill in
EFL……………………………………………………………………………….66
Figure 13: Students’ most used activities in oral expression sessions……………67
Figure 14: Students’ participation in oral expressions online session during the COVID19
confinement…………………………………………………………….………..67
Figure 15: The platforms used for oral expression sessions during the COVID19
confinement……………………………………………………………………...68
Figure 16: The main obstacles faced in online oral expression sessions…………70
Figure 17: Students’ views about online presentations…………………………..75
Figure 18: Students’ perceptions on speaking skill and ICTs…………………….76
Figure 19: Word Press, website for creating online websites and blogs.
VIII
Figure 20: YouTube Channel, Learn English with English Class 101.
Figure 21: YouTube Channel, Speak English with Vanessa.
Figure 22: YouTube Channel, Ross IELTS Academy.
Figure 23: YouTube Channel, IELTS ADVANTAGE.
Figure 24: Phone Application, FluentU.
Figure25: Crossword Phone Games.

IX
CONTENTS
Dedication 1…………………………………………………………………………
Dedication 2 ………………………………………………………………………
Acknowledgment ………………………………………………………………….
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………
List of Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………
List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………….
List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………
Contents …………………………………………………………………………….
General Introduction
Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................1
Aims of the Study ...............................................................................................15
Research Questions .............................................................................................16
Hypotheses ..........................................................................................................16
Research Methodology ........................................................................................16
Structure of the Research .....................................................................................17
Chapter One: ICTs and Foreign Language Learning
Introduction …………………….………………………………………………..21
1. Definition of ICTs ..........................................................................................21
2. Evolution of ICTs ...........................................................................................22
3. ICTs Shapes in Learning..................................................................................25
3.1 Online Learning ..................................................................................25

X
3.2 Distance Learning .................................................................................25
3.3 Blended Learning ...................................................................................26
3.4 Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) ...................................27
3.5 Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) .......................................28
4. ICT tools and devices in Education.......................................................................28
5. Types of ICT tools in Learning .............................................................................29
5.1 Educational Networking .........................................................................29
5.1.1 Edmodo .....................................................................................30
5.1.2 Ning ...........................................................................................30
5.1.3 Sanako ........................................................................................31
5.2 Web-Based Learning ..............................................................................32
5.2.1 Social Bookmarking ....................................................................32
5.2.2 Blog...............................................................................................32
5.3 Mobile Learning (ML) ............................................................................33
5.4 Classroom Equipment ............................................................................33
6. ICTs and FLL ............................................................................................................34
6.1 Benefits of Using ICTs in FLL................................................................35
6.2 Challenges of Using ICTs in FLL ...........................................................36
7. ICTs and EFL..............................................................................................................37
7.1. Globalization and integrating ICTs in EFL..............................................37
7.2. Ways of integrating ICTs in EFL classes ................................................38
7.3 ICTs and FLL during COVID19...............................................................40
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................41
XI
Chapter Two: ICTs and Speaking Skill
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………46
1. Speaking Skill……………………………………………………..……………46
1.1 Defining Speaking Skill ……………………………………..…………46
1.2 Speaking Skill Components ……………………………………...………..47
1.2.1. Comprehension…………………………………….………………48
1.2.2. Grammar………………………………………..……………….....49
1.2.3. Fluency…………………………………….……………………….49
1.2.4. Vocabulary………………………………………………………….50
1.2.5. Pronunciation ………………………………………………….……51
1.3. Types of Speaking Skill …………………………………………………..52
1.3.1. Imitative Speaking………………………………………………….52
1.3.2. Intensive Speaking………………………………….….…………..52
1.3.3. Responsive Speaking………………………………………………53
1.3.4. Interactive Speaking……………………………………….………..5
1.3.5. Extensive Speaking………………………...………………………53
2. The Importance of Speaking Skill in EFL………………………………………....54
3. Teaching speaking skill………………………………………………………….…55
3.1. Speaking kill and Teaching Methods……………………………………..55
3.2. Organizing a Speaking Skill Classroom………………………………….56
3.3. Classroom Speaking Skill Activities……………………………………..57
4. Teaching Speaking Skill via ICTs…………………………………………………61

XII
4.1. Teacher’s Role…………………………………………………………….62
4.2. ICT Tools and Devices in Teaching Speaking Skill………………………63
5. Learning Speaking Skill via ICTs………………………………………………….65
5.1. Learner’s Role and his Main Characteristics……………………………...65
5.2. ICT Tools used to Learn Speaking Skill ………………………………….67
6. The Impact of ICTs on Speaking Skill…………………………………………….69
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………71
Chapter Three: Questionnaire and Interview Description and Analysis
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………74
1. Research methodology ............................................................................................74
2. Students’ questionnaire ...........................................................................................75
2.1 Description of the Questionnaire ....................................................................75
2.2 Analysis of the Questionnaire ......................................................................76
2.3 Summary of the Questionnaire’s results........................................................103
3. Teachers’ Interview ................................................................................................105
3.1 Description of the Interview ......................................................................105
3.2 Analysis of the Interview ............................................................................107
3.3 Summary of the Interview’s results ...........................................................137
4. General Findings ...................................................................................................139
5. Pedagogical Implication.........................................................................................141
6. Limitation of the Study .........................................................................................146
Conclusion ................................................................................................................146
General Conclusion .................................................................................................149

XIII
References ………………………………………………………………………….152
Appendices
Appendix “A” Students’ Questionnaire
Appendix “B” Teachers’ Interview
Appendix “C” Pedagogical Implications
‫ملخص‬
Résumé
GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................15
Aims of the Study ...............................................................................................15
Research Questions .............................................................................................16
Hypotheses ..........................................................................................................16
Research Methodology ........................................................................................16
Structure of the Research .....................................................................................17

ICTs and Speaking Skill during COVID19 1
Statement of the problem
Nowadays, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are deemed to be
indispensable entities in human life. In the same vein, ICTs also play a salient role in
different educational fields, namely learning/teaching foreign languages for being helpful
aids, as they can be beneficial in promoting the language skills, including the speaking
skill.
With the spread of COVID19 virus, new shape of education has been adopted. It
was with the spring vacancy, which was prolonged to March 12th, 2020 when the
government announced total confinement to mitigate the spread of the virus. In this
regard, universities should close their doors and the education would be carried on
through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Face to face education
has been always the only shape of learning at Badji Mokhtar University of Annaba-
Algeria; hence, teachers and students were wondering how the virtual process is going to
be and what about the oral expression classes, i.e. what is the potential impact this new
process will have on students’ speaking skill and the obstacles they might face.
Aims of the study
This research work aims at examining the experience of Master 2 EFL/ Language
Sciences students with speaking skill through Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) during the COVID19 confinement. Furthermore, the study intends to investigate
learners and teachers’ perceptions of ICTs impact on the students’ speaking skill during the
COVID19 confinement, as it targets to investigate the efficiency of ICTs in developing the
speaking skill during that period. Moreover, the study attempts to raise awareness of the
options ICTs provide to develop the speaking skill. In this regard, the research spotlights the
students and teachers’ views about how ICTs can be better used to enhance the students’
speaking skill and online oral expression classes. Hence, the work aims at highlighting the
importance of developing knowledge concerning how to use ICTs in learning and teaching
speaking skill.
Research Questions
In order to investigate the influence of teaching/learning through ICTs on the students’
speaking skill during the COVID19 confinement, together with the obstacles faced, two
research questions were asked:
1- From learners and teachers’ perspectives, how did online learning oral
expression through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement influence students' speaking skill?
2- What are the main obstacles faced in online teaching/ learning speaking skill
through ICTs during COVID19 confinement?
Research Hypotheses
We hypothesize that:
1- Learning through ICTs during the COVID19 period has influenced the
students' speaking skill negatively.
2- The main obstacles faced in learning/teaching speaking skill during the
COVID19 confinement were technical difficulties, including lack of accessibility and unstable
internet connection.
Research Methodology
In order to investigate the research questions and testify the hypotheses, a questionnaire
and an interview will be used. First, a questionnaire will be designed to Master two EFL
Language Sciences students at the Badji Mokhtar University of Annaba-Algeria. Second, an
interview will be administered to EFL oral expression teachers at the same university. Hence,
mixed methods will be utilized to conduct this study in the purpose of gaining qualitative and
quantitative results.
Structure of the Dissertation
This dissertation is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical
part is divided into two chapters. The first one provides an overview about Information and
Communication Technologies including definitions, evolution, their shapes in learning, the
different tools and devices used in education. It ends with highlighting ICTs relationship with
FLL, including EFL especially during the COVID19 confinement. The second chapter
contains information about the speaking skill, its definition, its types and components, its
importance, and the way of teaching. Furthermore, it explains the concept of integrating ICTs
in teaching/ learning speaking, skill and the impact of ICTs on the skill. The practical part,
which is the third chapter, includes the description and analysis of students’ questionnaire and
teachers’ interview, in addition to the results.

Chapter One
ICTs and FLL
Introduction …………………………………………………………………............04
1. Definition of ICTs..................................................................................................04
2. Evolution of ICTs...................................................................................................05
3. ICTs Shapes in Learning .......................................................................................07
3.1 Online Learning ...........................................................................................07
3.2 Distance Learning .....................................................................................08
3.3 Blended Learning .....................................................................................08
3.4 Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) ...........................................09
3.5 Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) ...............................................10
4. ICT tools and devices in Education..........................................................................10
5. Types of ICT tools in Learning ...............................................................................11
5.1 Educational Networking .................................................................................11
5.1.1 Edmodo ...............................................................................................12
5.1.2 Ning .....................................................................................................12
5.1.3 Sanako .................................................................................................13
5.2 Web-Based Learning ......................................................................................13
5.2.1 Social Bookmarking ............................................................................14
5.2.2 Blog......................................................................................................14
5.3 Mobile Learning (ML) ...................................................................................15
5.4 Classroom Equipment ....................................................................................15
6. ICTs and FLL ..........................................................................................................15
6.1 Benefits of Using ICTs in FLL.......................................................................16
6.2 Challenges of Using ICTs in FLL ..................................................................17

7. ICTs and EFL............................................................................................................18
7.1. Globalization and integrating ICTs in EFL....................................................18
7.2. Ways of integrating ICTs in EFL classes ......................................................19
7.3 ICTs and FLL during COVID19.....................................................................20
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................22
Introduction
Due to the technological development, numerous inventions and digital devices became
beneficial and were adopted in different fields. The educational area has also seen a
remarkable shift, thanks to the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning, which gave birth
to a new form of studying and schooling. Indeed, ICTs brought many changes, especially in
teaching and learning foreign languages like English, which took different shapes with certain
impacts. Therefore, this chapter will consider defining ICTs and their evolution, the different
educational shapes and devices, both challenges and benefits of their integration in FLL, their
use in EFL during the COVID19 confinement, and the multiple ways of incorporating
different forms of ICTs in EFL.
1. Definition of ICTs
For the broad spread ICTs have within many fields; several definitions were presented.
According to Blurton (1999), ICTs is an acronym that stands for Information and
Communication Technologies, which people use at present time to communicate, share, store,
gather, and exchange information.
Ratheeswari (2018) stated in the journal of Applied and Advanced research:
ICT stand for ‘Information and communication technology’. It refers to technologies
that provide access to information through telecommunication. It is similar to
Information Technology (IT) but focuses primarily on communication technologies.
This includes the internet, wireless networks, cell phones and other communication
mediums. (Ratheeswari, 2018, p. 45).
Hence, the main feature that differentiates IT from ICTs is the ability to communicate
when exchanging and sharing information.
Cambridge dictionary defined ICTs firstly as “The use of computers and other
electronic equipment and systems to collect, store, use, and send data electronically.”
Secondly, “Information and communication technologies: a school subject in which students
learn to use computers and other electronic equipment to store and send information.” in other
words, ICT is the use of the digital equipment such as computers in the classroom to extract
and collect data.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 2010)
(as cited in Kwame, 2015) noted that ICTs are any technological device, means, form or tool
that is responsible of dealing with transmitting, loading, providing, and exchanging any form
of information in a more easy and flexible manner.
From the previous definitions, it can be stated that the term information and
communication technologies stand for all the digital, telecommunication, and technological
devices and means that can be used to facilitate communication between people and create
knowledge sources to interchange, collect and store information.
2. Evolution of ICTs
Information and communication technologies first came to this world as simple devices
to ease long-distance communication between people. According to Alabama University
(1998), facilitating communication between people was to make use of electricity in
developing tools that are more helpful by converting information and knowledge into
electrical impulses. As Han Liu (n.d.) stated that with the beginning of the 18th century,
telecommunication began by inventing devices such as the Telegraph, the Telephone in 1876
by Alexander Graham Bell, and the Radio in 1895 by Guglielmo Marconi.
Computers are a fine example of how ICT tools have developed, as Zakari (2019, p. 11)
stated that computer history can be categorized into five main generations as follows:
• The first generation (1937-1946): The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC), built by
John V.Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, it was presented to the world as the first digital
computer. Computers at that period were characterized by performing single tasks at a time,
and being so giant and hard to transport.
• The second generation (1947-1962): at this period, computers were developed using
transistors instead of vacuum tubes, and they came with different operating systems such as
tape disk and memory like the famous International Business Machine (IBM) 650.
• The third generation (1963-1957): Zakari (2019, p. 14) affirms that computers
during this period progressed to be much smaller and more efficient, such as the UNIVAC
9000Series, where new tools were added to these devices like the keyboard and the mouse for
input.
• The fourth generation (PC 1975-current day): According to Zakari (2019, p. 15),
this period can be considered as the period of the technological development core by which
personal computers were presented to the world with more available abilities and functions to
facilitate numerous purposes, and the Macintosh Computer by Apple is a fine example.
• The fifth generation (present-future): The computers of this generation are
characterized by being smart, high-speed processing and extraordinary human mimic
intelligences, such as voice recognition and facial detector. Such amazing inventions started
to introduce what ICTs are, how they can be used to process data and exchange information,
and how they can be used as means of teaching and learning.
As The Encyclopedia Britannica (2016) stated, Sir Isaac Pitman, a teacher of the
English language who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as
Pitman shorthand. The operation involved sending and receiving tasks and grades by emailed
postcards, where long-distance habited students were able to keep up with their learning
process from their homes.

According to Han Liu (n.d.), other tools were used in the teaching and learning field,
such as The Calculating Engine. In 1822, Charles Babbage presented the first calculating
device used for computing simple mathematics; however, it led to what we have today as
Digital Computers. Han Liu (n.d.) stated that Film Projectors (1902), or what academically
are called “the educational film,” started to be used for presentations in the classrooms where
the images were changed manually, and they were accompanied with audio-recordings. The
educational radio has gained some fame where it was first functioned by the University of
Wisconsin in 1917.
The presence of computers in the education field cannot be unseen, where Molnar
(1997) affirmed that in 1944, the MARK 1 was the first computer to be used at Harvard, and
ENIAC in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. According to Han Liu (n.d.), besides
computers, other tools came in handy, for instance, video disks (VCD), CD-ROMs,
Multimedia, and DVDs in the 1990s. Furthermore, Dogruer, Eyyam and Menevis (1990)
(cited in Ferhati & Ghegaglia, 2020) believed that the internet with its emergence since 1960s
has become a vital part of people’s lives, as it allowed them to have access to any type of
information and knowledge in addition to easing communication via several forms.
3. Shapes of ICTs in learning
There are different shapes of learning with ICTs such as:
3.1 Online Learning
According to Tsai and Machado (2002), online learning is associated with the online
content on web or internet. In other words, as Pop (2021) stated, the use of internet is the key
element in online learning. Stern (n.d.) and Stauffer (2020) pointed out that, sometimes, it is
also referred to e-learning. Further, Stauffer (2020) added that students can be dealing with
online courses and assessments using different ICTs in the classroom too. Hence, personal
interaction between teachers and learners is possible. Furthermore, she stated that online
learning is often characterized by combining in-person teaching method with the online
instructions.
3.2 Distance Learning
According to Simonson (n.d.), distance learning is characterized by the absence of
physical interaction and environment as everything is done through ICTs. He further stated
that there are four main characteristics of distance learning as following:
 Academic learning that is carried out through institutions.
 Geographic separation and bridging the intellectual, cultural, and social differences
between students.
 The necessity of interactions between learners and teachers using ICTs.
 Creating a learning community that is composed of students, a teacher, and instructional
resources.
3.3 Blended Learning
The blended learning was simply explained by Lalima and Dangwal (2017, p. 131) as
the combination of both face to face learning and learning supported by ICTs. As Caner
(2012, p. 23) stated, the concept was firstly presented for the aim of capitalizing the
advantages of both offline and online educational environments. Bryan and Volchenkova
(2016) mentioned that blended learning is mainly characterized by the combination of the
online instruction and the traditional teaching methodologies i.e. the process is guided by the
instructor through face to face and virtual communication.

Based on the previous pieces of information about online, distance and blended
learning, the following chart is designed to clarify the difference between the three processes.
Online learning Distance Blended

learning learning
Location At home as it At home, At institution

can be at geographic and home.
institution. separation.
Interaction Mainly online Online Both in-person

interaction and interaction/ no and online
often involve in-personal interaction.
in-personal interaction.
interaction.
Instruction Online Delivering Combination of

instruction and instruction online
supervision but online. instruction and
may involve traditional
in-person teaching
instructions. methodologies
Key element The use of ICT tools and Classroom and

internet. devices. ICTs.
Table 1: The difference between online, distance and blended learning.
(By the researchers)
3.4 Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
Khamkhien (2012, p. 56) claimed that Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
emerged with the emergence of computer by the mid-1950s when the integration of
technology into language learning began to spread, as an attempt to supplement the traditional
process. Derakhshan, Salehi and Rahimzadeh (2015) related the concept to the use of
computer in language learning through which different language aspects and skills can be
taught like grammar, speaking and writing, vocabulary…etc. According to Scott and Beadle
(2014) (cited in Ramey, 2017, p15), learners are exposed to three types on interactions in
CALL: with the content, with the instructor, and with other learners.
3.5 Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL)
Miangah and Nezarat (2012, p313) pointed out that Mobile Assisted Language Learning
deals with integrating the use of mobiles in learning languages including vocabulary,
grammar, pronunciation, reading, and listening. Further, they stated that the two main
beneficial characteristics of the mobile in language learning are portability and connectivity,
i.e. being easy to carry and provide well interconnection of platforms, systems, and
applications. Further, Çakmak (2019, p. 37) stated: “MALL has evolved from Computer-
Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and m-learning. It differs from CALL for its personal
use and portability across different contexts.”
4. ICT Tools and Means in Education

There are several and different ICTs and the following ones are the most used in
education:
 Interactive Multimedia: according to Britannica editors (n.d.), interactive multimedia
is computer-delivered electronic system through which users are able to control and
manipulate different types of media, like; web sites, computer graphics, and digital data.
 Computer: Mugivane (2014) defined the computer as an electronic device that
processes data using programs to produce information. Dabas (2018) computer is considered
to be a major revolutionary invention, which is why it has a noticeable sign in life as it has
radically changed the nature of classes and education.
 Television: Roji (2015) stated that the term of Television came from Latin and means
“distant vision”; it as a mode of telecommunication used for transmitting pieces of

information. Naveed (2019) asserted that TV can be used as a good source of tool of formal or
informal education as well as a supportive reinforcement material.
 Internet: Dogrue, Eyyam and Menevisab (2011) considered internet an important tool
in education for the educational opportunities it provides mainly as a research tool.
 Mobile Gadgets: Roschelle (2003) believed that mobiles can be useful and even
beneficial in education (cited in Ferhati & Ghegaglia, 2020, p. 9) by enhancing learning
independency, enhancing collaboration between students, and saving time.
 Social Media: including Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other platforms, social media
help in the interaction between teachers and learners, promote students’ engagement, improve
self confidence, and creativity. ( Faizi, El Afia,& Chiheb, 2013, p. 50)
5. Types of ICTs in learning
HengLuo and Jing Lei in their chapter entitled “Emerging Technologies for Interactive
Learning in the ICT Age” (2012, p. 77) classified the types of ICTs in learning into four main
categories: Educational Networking, Web-based learning, Mobile learning, Classroom
equipment.
5.1 Educational networking
Dakon (2011) stated that the term was proposed by Davis, as it represents the online
platforms that are functionally based on communication and link users together to share,
connect, chat, and discuss. Vicki (2008), a teacher and director of instructional technology,
clarified that this concept aims at designing new social networking separate from the personal
ones and free from contextual advertising, to avoid the different distractions and make it more
suitable for a learning context. Hence, this kind of educational ICTs can provide a suitable
environment where the teacher can always keep his administration. In the same vein,
Hargadon (n.d.) in his work entitled “Educational Networking” listed different advantages of
the concept, such as enhancing curiosity and motivation, educators’ involvement in their
learning, enhancing collaboration and creativity, facilitating to share and check information,
and saving time. The following platforms are some of the most known educational
networking used:
5.1.1 Edmodo
Edmodo, founded by Nick Borg, Jeff O’Hara, and Crystal Hutter in 2008, was
explained according to Cauley (n.d.) in the “Edmodo – A guide to explain it all” as an
educational network that enables users to communicate, share, collaborate, and train.
According to Hakim and Kodriyah (2015), Edmodo today is one of the most favorite and used
educational networks in learning for its beneficial and useful features, such as the free and
ease of use, the excellent privacy. In addition, it enables teachers to entirely keep their
administration and control among the process and learners, also to keep contact with other
teachers, as well as enabling parents to get involved and check their children’s progress and
marks.
5.1.2 Ning
Heintz (2020) declared that this online educational network was created by Gina
Bianchini. The study done by Brady, Holcomb and Smith (2010) to analyze the benefits of
using Ning in education revealed that the main advantages are: collaboration, time-efficiency,
and differing viewpoints, as it provides more practical help than learners would get in
traditional face to face courses.

5.1.3 Sanako
The social networking declares itself as “a Finnish Education Technology company
helping people teach and learn languages.” (SANAKO, n.d.). The official Sanako website also
mentioned its helpful provisions at four different levels as following:
 For Learners: it provides motivational process and improved results.
 For Educators: it eases the teaching process as it provides efficiency and
motivational teaching boosts.
 For Institutions: it helps in improving the quality or education and provides more
intercultural aspects and competitiveness.
 For Nations: it helps in reinforcing future professionals with good language skills
which generates advantageous and productive national competitiveness. (SANAKO, n.d.)
As it was mentioned in “A Complete Guide to our full range of educational products,”
(n.d.), the platform is associated with language learning and teaching, especially the TEFL
field. Furthermore, Sanako helps to create an effective educational environment and to keep
the essential interaction between teachers and learners in flexible and controlled conditions. In
this regard, Sanako also provides many different language activities, which were stated in the
(SANAKO) Study 1200 (2012), such as discussion activities, listening comprehension,
reading practice.
5.2 Web-Based Learning ICTs
Based on Javed, Sunil, Imshad and Jamshed (2014) and Zheng (2008) in his book (as
cited in IGI Global website, n.d.), web-based learning ICTs are the means used in the type of
learning that utilizes the Internet as an instructional delivery tool to carry out various
activities. Cook (2007) mentioned some of these ICTs’ advantages like the individualization
of learning, the facilitation of the instructional methods, the overcome of the physical
distance, and time-saving. Some of these ICTs are:
5.2.1 Social Bookmarking
According to Olmstead in his article (2019), social bookmarking was firstly launched in
1996 called “ItList”, and its concept can be clarified as the process of tagging a website page
with a browser-based tool so that you can quickly revisit it later. Through the article entitled
“How Social Bookmarking Can Help The 21st Century Teacher”, Gormley and McDermott
(2010) stated various bookmarking features and provisions, for instance, providing ready
libraries, organizing and storing materials, sharing and exchanging websites. Although
Delicious, Diigo, and Reddit are the most used in education, there are many social
bookmarking websites
5.2.2 Blog
According to Puschmann (2013), a blog is a short term for ‘Web Blog’. It was explained
by Strampel and Oliver (2009) as a technological replacement of paper journals; in other
words, it is an online public journal. According to Minaev (2021), a blog is an online platform
that allows users to write and share their views about different subjects as well as commenting
on others, which makes it an excellent educational ICT tool especially helping teachers in
publishing resources and keeping the parents up to date on class events, also teaching and
improving writing skills (Pappas, 2020). In addition, blogs help learners to be more
autonomous and motivated by providing more opportunities for practice and discussion
(Mora, 2013). Some of the most used educational blogging platforms are Edublog, Kidblog,
and World education blog.

5.3. Mobile Learning (ML) ICTs
Traxler (2005) in his work entitled “Defining Mobile Learning”, explained the concept
as the process of learning using mobile and computing devices, such as smart-phones,
computers, and laptops. Hashemi, Azizinezhad, Najafi, and Nesari (2011) listed various
advantages of this type of ICTs, such as facilitating the interaction, time and place are no
longer an obstacle, facilitation the access to documents, libraries, quizzes as well as the easy
share and receive lectures. Moreover, Mohamad and Woollard (2012) study revealed that
mobile learning ICTs have disadvantages like cyber-bullying, cheating, academic theft, health
issues, and technological addiction.
5.4 Classroom Equipment
According to Heng Luo and Jing Lei (2012), classroom equipment ICTs are simply the
digital classroom elements, such as computers and headphones, projectors, printers. These
ICTs help in facilitating the process and enhancing the learners’ accomplishment and
motivation.
6. ICTs and FLL
According to Benmansour (2019), the concept of integrating ICTs knew a noticeable
adaption in FLL since the expeditious development and spread of new technologies for the
purpose of gaining its advantageous aids. In the same line, many researchers have been
interested in studying the potential change that ICTs bring to FLL classes i.e., how modern
classes that use ICTs are different from the traditional classes that do not integrate any
technology.
Namely, Sridharan, Deng and Kinshuk (2014) shed light on many differences between
modern and traditional classrooms, such as considering the traditional process passive and
lower-ordered learning, while the modern one is more active and higher-ordered. In this
regard, Isisag (2012) saw that modern FLL with ICTs helps in boosting learners’ engagement
more and gives opportunity for authentic practice and context. Further, Mullamaa (2010)
confirmed that, thanks to ICTs, new and various teaching methods are provided in modern
classes, in additional to enhancing individualization and equality among students.
Furthermore, Chouthaiwale and Alkamel (2018) found that ICTs shift the FLL process from
teacher centered to learner centered, as well as enhancing learners’ motivation and
collaboration. The following chart summarizes the previous ideas:
Modern FLL Traditional FLL
Different methods and material/many The same /limited materials and methods.
options for the same lesson.
Wide Interaction between learners, teacher Limited interaction.

and learner, learners and content.
Learner engagement in their learning. Little engagement.
Active process. Passive process.
Enhance motivation and autonomous. Dependency.
Learner centered. Content/ teacher centered.
Learners get equal opportunities/ Not all the learners get opportunities.
Individualization.
Easy to check on all the learners’ Struggling to keep an eye on all learners.
understating.
Availability of authentic resources. Authentic concepts are not always

available.
Higher ordered learning. Lower ordered learning.
Table 2: Modern FLL VS Traditional FLL. (By the researchers)
6.1 Benefits of Using ICTs in FLL
According to UNESCO (2011), ICTs play a huge role in enhancing the way of learning
foreign languages. In this regard, the World Wide Web provides to learners multiple
platforms and authentic sources, in addition to expending the familiarity with the foreign
language. In the same vein, Ghasemi and Hashemi (2011) noted that the use of ICTs like
blogs and video conferencing facilitates the FL learners’ interaction and communication with
native speakers which enables them to use the target language for real purposes and in
authentic contexts. Hence, ICTs may fill-in some gaps traditional teaching could not cover.
Moreover, Isisag (2012) stated that by using ICTs, FL learners can develop more than
one language skill at the same time. Besides, the presence of such technologies will make the
learner more interested, active, and responsible as they will boost his/her level of creativity by
experiencing new ways of learning. Furthermore, as Alsied and Pathan (2013) explained,
integrating technological devices such as computers inside the classroom reinforces the
learners’ responsibility and concentration towards their needs and aims; in a way, they will
feel independent from the teacher and in charge of their own studies.
6.2 Challenges of Using ICTs in FLL
Studies by Yunus, Lubis and Lin (2009), Gòmez (2008), Bnemansour (2019), and
Dedja (2015) were conducted to examine the challenges of using ICTs in FLL. The findings
revealed different points as the main and common ones can be listed as follows:
- Accessibility: That is not all the platforms are free, and not everyone can get access
to them. As UNESCO (2011) agreed that limited accessibility and network connection could
be considered the key challenges in using ICTs.
- Availability of materials: It signifies the limited materials in institutions. In the
same vein, Habibu, Al-Mamun and Clement (2012, p. 4) declared the few limited materials
available in institutions as one of the main challenges, because students and teachers will not
have enough and equal opportunities. Furthermore, Gomes (2005), and Korte and Hüsing
(2007) (cited in Simin, Thanusha, Logeswary & Annreetha, 2016) insisted on the need for
technicians and ICTs maintenance, so that teachers will not lose time in fixing the materials’
problems. However, as Poudel (2018) studies revealed, using technologies in FLL is even
expensive,.
- Technological literacy: this point is concerned with the teachers and learners’
struggle in adapting, dealing, and being up to date with the new technologies. As Habibu, Al-
Mamun and Clement (2012) stated, teachers especially are not skilled in using technologies
and facing a kind of reluctance about the change. Also, Al kahtani (2017) shed light on the
absence of the availability of adequate ICTs training, and suggested to provide personal tools
especially for teachers as opportunities to learn.
- Reliability: Not all digital resources are reliable, i.e. the lack of reliable
communication networks is an essential challenge while using ICTs in all education fields.
- Credibility: It refers to the learners’ full dependency on online resources, which also
may lead to plagiarism.
7. ICTs and EFL
In the case of English as a Foreign Language, Belhoujar (2019, p. 44) stated that
ICTs in the EFL context knew a conspicuous success regarding their importance.
7.1. Globalization and integrating ICTs in EFL
According to the work entitled “Why it is important to integrate ICT in EFL” (2014),
globalization was one of the main first leading reasons of integrating ICTs in EFL. In the
same vein, Youmatter (2020) saw that globalization generally represents the speedup of
movements and exchanges, leading to the international expansion of the interactions between
regions, populations, and interests. In this regard, according to Delhumeau (2011),
globalization has also affected languages by furthering the spread of some languages like the
English language, which became the most used language on an international scale (global
lingua franca). Thus, as Estliden (2017) and Mahu (2012) stated, the need and desire to learn
English has increased and numerous FLT institutions and classes have been designed. Hence,
with time, the need for extra helping aids has increased as well and ICTs were the perfect
materials.
7.2. Ways of integrating ICTs in EFL classes
The study of Hartoyo (2009) concerning ICTs and EFL presented seven ways of ICTs
application in EFL courses that can be explained as follows:
1. Computer assisted language learning: According to Derakhshan, Salehi and
Rahimzadeh (2015), CALL means the integration of computers in language learning.
Moreover, Davies (n.d.) defined CALL more succinctly as an “approach to language teaching
and learning in which the computer is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement, and
assessment of material to be learned.” In this regard, Hartoyo (2009) stated that computers
are, in fact, a beneficial martial in EFL classes for it is more interactive compared to other
media like projector and blackboard.
2. Information: ICT tools can function as an informative source that helps in
improving English language through the online documents and aids
3. Publication: ICTs can be used as a publication forum through which teachers and
learners can publish or link different works, articles, records, videos…etc.
4. Communication: ICTs can be used as meeting instruments like video conferences
that gather teachers and learners’ or even with other professionals, together with no matter the
distance and in a short time.
5. Intercultural Communication: ICTs are also used for intercultural communication
purposes, such as having contact with native speakers, which improves English language
skills.
6. Research support: The vital use of ICTs is as research support, regarding the
sufficient support of theoretical, empirical, or pragmatic information and data source.

Especially in EFL learning and teaching, there will always be the need for continuous and
updated knowledge or improvement.
7. Online education: ICTs, especially nowadays, are mostly used for online EFL
learning due to the wide advancement. Like the online platforms that allow learners to get full
professional education just through the internet
The ICTs application in EFL learning illustrated in the previous figure can be explained as
following:
Communicatio
n
Online
education
Publication
ICTs
application
Information in EFL
Learning Intercultural
Communicati
on
Research
support CALL
Figure1: ICTs Application in EFL Learning (By the researchers)
7.3. ICTs and EFL during COVID19:
According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2020), in December 2019, a new
member in Coronavirus family originated in Wuhan city-China, exactly in a whole sale
market. After investigating this new outbreak and analyzing the genetic sequence of this virus
taken from contaminated persons, it was confirmed that it has an ecological origins in bat
population. Hence, the whole world took a long break from the beginning of 2020, people
were confined at their homes and therefore school doors were closed to mitigate the spread of
the virus, as it was the case in Algeria.
According to Algeria Press Service (APS, 2020), The President of the Republic Abd El
Madjid Tebboune, following consultation with the ministers, ordered the closing of schools of
primary, intermediate and secondary education as of March 12 th,2020 until the end of spring
holidays on April 5 th,2020. Further, the break was prolonged for longer time, when Djamila
Khiar, the president of the National Federation of Associations of Student’s Parents, in an
interview with the European Training Foundation, states that other forms of study took place
within the educational system in Algeria and especially for the Baccalaureate level such as
special TV stations (ETF, 2020).
Gaoand Zhang (2020) stated that online education has thrived with the sudden global
COVID19 outbreak, especially language learning. So, as Rababah (2020, p. 28) stated;
integrating ICTs became necessary to replace the physical meeting and the potential danger it
can cause. In the same context, according to Li and Lalani (2020), ICTs played a helpful role
in coping with the mentioned conditions, for it helped the teachers to reach out to their
students more efficiently and it eases the communication regardless the distance. In this
regard, Gao and Zhang (2020) viewed that online education has thrived with the sudden
global COVID19 outbreak, especially language learning.
Moreover, the study conducted by Rababah (2020) that aimed to examine the ICTs
challenges in EFL during COVID19 period revealed the following obstacles:
- Lack of adequate training: this issue blocked learning because learners and teachers
are not trained to use such tools or platforms.

- Inconsistent Teaching Styles of Instructors: learners struggle with the inconsistent
methods adopted by their teachers, especially in dealing with the skills like improving the
speaking performance; for instance, they cannot get the correct pronunciation just by reading
texts.
- Lack of accessibility: it includes bad internet connection and lack of materials.
Conclusion
The integration of ICTs in education has been presented in many shapes of learning
together with different educational tools and devices. Hence, teaching and learning have
changed especially in FLL field in which these technologies provide multiple benefits, such as
enhancing the learning process, providing authentic practice and sources, and boosting the
learners’ positive attitude. However, different challenges may be faced as well, including the
lack of accessibility, availability of materials, technological literacy, reliability, and
credibility. Furthermore, due to the globalization, ICTs also took place in EFL through many
ways of application, firmly during the COVID19 confinement period, where ICTs were used
to carry on studies.
Chapter Two
ICTs and Speaking
Skill
Speaking Skill
Introduction ……………..………………………………………………………………23
1. Speaking Skill…………………………………………………………………………23
1.1 Defining Speaking Skill ………………………………………………………23
1.2 Speaking Skill Components…………………………………………………..24
1.2.1. Comprehension……...…………………….……………………………24
1.2.2. Grammar…………………………………………………………….....25
1.2.3. Fluency……………………………...………………………………….26
1.2.4. Vocabulary………………………………..…………………………....26
1.2.5. Pronunciation…………………………………….…………………......27
1.3. Types of Speaking Skill ……………………………………………………...28
1.3.1. Imitative Speaking……………………………………………………...28
1.3.2. Intensive Speaking……………………………………………..……....29
1.3.3. Responsive Speaking………………………………………………......29
1.3.4. Interactive Speaking……………………………………………………30
1.3.5. Extensive Speaking…………………………………………………….30
2. The Importance of Speaking Skill in EFL…………………………………...............30
3. Teaching speaking skill………………………………………….…………………....31
3.1. Speaking kill and Teaching Methods………………………..……………….31
3.2. Organizing a Speaking Skill Classroom………………………..……………32
3.3. Classroom Speaking Skill Activities……………………………….………..34
4. Teaching Speaking Skill via ICTs……………………………………………….……37
4.1. Teacher’s Role………………………………………………………….....…38

4.2. ICT Tools and Devices in Teaching Speaking Skill………………………....39
5. Learning Speaking Skill via ICTs……………………………………………………..41
5.1 Learners’ Role and Characteristics…………………………………..…........41
5.2 ICT Tools used to Learn Speaking Skill …………………….……………….43
6. The Impact of ICTs on Speaking Skill…………………………………..……………45
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………..………..46
Introduction
Speaking skill is considered the most used skill in learning languages, especially foreign
ones; therefore, it demands specific and well-designed teaching methods. In this regard,
different ICT tools and platforms were presented as aids to teach and learn the skill requiring
specific characteristics from both teachers and learners. Consequently, integrating ICTs in
speaking skill generates a double-faced impact that affects the process of acquisition and the
skill itself. This chapter is conducted to deal with all these critical points concerning teaching
and learning speaking skill with the use of ICTs.
1. Speaking Skill
1.1. Defining speaking skill
Torky (2006) stated that speaking is one of the four language skills that is considered a
productive skill instead of listening, a receptive skill, which means the skills of producing
appropriate sounds to create meaningful utterances. She further pointed out; speaking is the
most frequently used language skill since it is an actual means for communication and
expression. In the same vein, Rivers (1981) (as cited in Kaddour, 2016) argued that speaking,
in fact, is used twice as much as reading and writing.
Moreover, other researchers insisted that speaking skill is essential for interactions
between people. According to Cameron (2001) (cited in Wibawa, 2016), speaking is the
active use of language for exchanging meanings and other communicative purposes; as
Brown and Yule (1983) listed, expressing needs-request, information, services,...etc. In this
line, Chaney and Burk (1998, p. 13), declared speaking as "the process of building and
sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts,".
That is to say, speaking as a social communication is not just a skill of producing the
appropriate sounds and words but instead creating pragmatic, meaningful utterances including
the needed components, and the background knowledge concerning the conversational
borders.
The previous explanations show that speaking skill can be defined as a productive skill
of the interactive process that aims to create meaning through verbal utterances for
communicative purposes such as telling stories, exchanging information, speaking minds,
stating ideas, and much more. Hence, much attention should be given to performing this skill,
covering all its components to assure the excellent conveyance of what is being said
1.2. Speaking Skill Components
Masbiran and Fauzi (2017) highly insisted on the importance of speaking skill
components in developing the skill and measuring the learners’ capacities, as they will be
applied to assess their language proficiency. Therefore, many experts have studied different
arguments concerning these components. According to Syakir (2007) (cited in Puspita &
Rosnaningsih et al. 2019), two significant aspects are required in speaking skills which are
linguistic aspects, including comprehension, grammar, pronunciation, etc., and non-linguistic
aspects; including self-confidence, self-esteem, and extroversion.
Harris (1969) named five components of speaking skill; comprehension, grammar,
vocabulary, and fluency, which can be explained as follows:
1.2.1. Comprehension
Kurniati, Eliwarti, and Novitri (n.d.), in their study concerning the speaking skill ability
of students, related the speaking comprehension in communication to the subject discussed,
i.e., the utterance should be well comprehensible from both the speaker and the listener. In the
same vein, Morrow, Roskos, and Gambrell (2016) spotlighted the importance of
comprehension in speaking; they insisted that the ability to speak with understanding helps in
being a practical part of communication as well as to learn languages successfully.
In the same respect, Alimuddin and Muhsin (n.d.), in their work entitled “Aspects of
Speaking Skill,” deemed “Comprehension is an ability to perceive and process stretches of
discourse, to formulate representations the meaning of sentences.” In other words, it is to
understand what the speaker is saying as Cohen et al. (2005) (cited in Alimuddin & Muhsin,
n.d.) stated; it refers to the ability to enable the participants to understand the speech no matter
the challenges.
1.2.2. Grammar
According to the Collins online dictionary, in general, grammar is defined as “the ways
that words can be put together in order to make sentences.” That is, the science of rules that
governs the structure of sentences. Further, in Ziane (2012) view, grammar in speaking is the
ability to produce accurate and well-structured utterances, i.e., the sequence and the
components of the speech uttered are correct and logically combined, which assure the good
conveyance of the intended message.
Indeed, Admin (2017) insisted; Grammar lays the groundwork for effective
communication, i.e., it is a fundamental part of communicative competence. He further
highlighted its importance; it helps to enhance accuracy, to develop clear and meaningful
thinking, and to polish the speaker with a good impression. Moreover, A (1989) (cited in
Kusumawardani&Mardiyani, 2018) assumed that grammar is the linguistic ability that enables
native speakers to speak fluently.

1.2.3. Fluency
Kurniati, Eliwarti, and Novitri (n.d., p. 6) defined fluency in speaking as the ability to
produce language smoothly, clearly, concisely, and expressively while relating meaning and
context with little using pauses. This means the reasonably fast speed of speaking is a sign of
fluency because it indicates that the speaker does not need much time to get the language item
needed. In addition, Ziane (2012) affirmed; that speech speed is the parameter from which
speakers are described as fluent.
In this regard, Fillmore (1979) provided four significant abilities in fluency as
following:
 The ability to commit long talks with few pauses
 The ability to utter coherent, semantic, and reasoned speech.
 The ability to have the appropriate expressions for different contexts.
 The ability to be creative and imaginative in using the language.
1.2.4. Vocabulary
According to Neuman and Dwyer, 2009 (as cited in Kusumawardani & Mardiyani,
2018, p. 726), speaking vocabulary stands for the expressive words demanded for effective
communication; that is, vocabulary in speaking can be defined as the needed package of terms
and expressions which enable the speaker to carry a successful conversation. The researcher
further stated that having a poor vocabulary is an obstructing barrier that precludes learning
and communication. Along the same line, Laksana (2016, p. 8) considered vocabulary the
basic of language; hence, nothing can be said or expressed without it. On that account,
vocabulary is the diction used in speeches based on the context that controls the speaking
procedure, and without mastering it, speaking cannot be done correctly.

Moreover, Hiebert and Kamil (2005, p. 3) explained oral vocabulary as the set of words
from which we extract meaning in oral speaking or reading. Furthermore, Rivers and Nunan
(1991) (cited in Alqahtani, 2015, p. 22) insisted on the importance of excellent vocabulary
acquisition in second language learning because, without an extensive package, speakers will
be unable to convey comprehensible speeches or even to use the structures and functions they
have learned.
1.2.5. Pronunciation
Cambridge dictionary defined pronunciation as the way words and letters are said or
correctly said, i.e., how language is spoken or orally produced. According to Harris (1969),
pronunciation deals with the phonological process that determines how sounds vary and
pattern in languages; namely, pronunciation is the concept that puts phonology in action. He
also considered it a vital aspect because it helps in conveying comprehensible communication.
Similarly, Word Reference dictionary added, “it includes articulation, stress, and intonation,
often regarding some standard of correctness or acceptability.”
James (2010) (cited in Gilakjani, 2012) placed three levels as a basis to determine the
acceptance of the speaker’s pronunciation. Level1, the speaker’s utterance is not
understandable; level2, the utterances can be understandable, but the pronunciation is heavy
and strange; and level3, what the speaker says is well understandable and smooth to the ear as
Scovel (1988) (cited in Gilakjani, 2012) called it comfortable intelligibility.
Furthermore, Hnacock (2018) deemed that pronunciation is not just to listen and repeat;
rather, it is the awareness of the rules beneath the surface of the speech, i.e., in English, for
instance, verbs with two syllabi are stressed on the first one. The researcher further said that
pronunciation also deals with the physical function since it is a part of speaking. That is, for
achieving good pronunciation, especially in foreign languages, the speaker should retrain his
vocal cords and muscles according to the language pattern nature.
The following figure illustrates the relation between the five previous components and the
skill:
fluency Grammar
r
Pronu
nciati
on
Speaking skill
Figure 2: The Relationship Between Speaking Skill and its Components (By the
researchers)
1.3. Types of Speaking Skill
Brown (2004) as in (cite in Benmedah, 2017) stated six types of speaking according to
the speaking intention as following:
1.3.1. Imitative Speaking:
It was illustrated by Brown (2004) (cited in Kurniati, Eliwarti,&Novitri, 2015, p. 3) with
the ability of the speaker to parrot back or imitate what he/she listened to, i.e., the speaker
tries to repeat and reproduce what was said with the same way. In the same line, Sabio (n.d.)
in his work entitled “Speaking and Listening Assessment” stated; this type is usually used in
teaching or assessing speaking skill through tasks like “Repeat after me,” and the main focus
is the pronunciation, while Brown (2004) saw that it might be included in performance
criterion.
1.3.2. Intensive Speaking
According to Khodijah (2014), intensive speaking goes one-step beyond imitative
speaking and includes almost the whole speaking performance parts. Indeed, Brown (2004)
said; it deals with the production of short speeches that demonstrate oral language
competence, including a narrow band of grammatical and phonological aspects of language;
so it helps reveal the speaker’s knowledge and capacity in different language areas. He further
mentioned that semantics plays a vital role in this type of speaking. Namely, intensive
speaking can appear in reading aloud, directed- response tasks, and dialogue completions.
1.3.3. Responsive Speaking
Rahmawati and Ertin (2015, p. 201), in their work entitled “Developing Assessment for
Speaking,” stated that responsive speaking entails responding to short conversations or
making comments. Similarly, Asramadhani and Murni (2013, p. 3), in their article concerning
improving students’ speaking skills, said, “Responsive speaking is interaction at the
somewhat limited level of a concise conversation, standard greeting and small talk, simple
comment and request, and the like.” That is, the speaker engages in short authentic discourse
sessions like Brown (2004) (cited in Kurniati, Eliwarti,&Novitri, n.d., p. 3) stated; it includes
greetings, ask directions, small talks, requests, and comments, for example:
A- According to you, what is the most important aspect in speaking skills?
B- They are all important but I would say vocabulary.

1.3.4. Interactive Speaking
Izurrategui (2020) exemplified this type with active conversation face-to-face or on the
phone, in which the speaker can take enough time to state his ideas or asking questions,
clarifications, repetitions. Indeed, Sabio (n.d., p. 11) differentiated interactive speaking from
responsive one regarding the length and the nature of the conversation, i.e., conversations
during interactive speaking are much more involved and may include multiple interlocutors.
From these explanations, interactive speaking is characterized by the conversation's length,
complexity, and interpersonal focus.
1.3.5. Extensive Speaking
Brown (2004) also called it “Monologue” because it usually includes individual
performances like oral presentation, storytelling, and speeches. Rahmawati and Ertin (2014, p.
201) added; the speaker may need to interact with the audience through answering the
question. In this regard, extensive speaking requires useful linguistic competence and vital
speaking components.
2. The Importance of Speaking Skill in EFL
Benmedah (2017, p. 8) related the essential central point of speaking skill with its
primary aim, which is to develop language users’ abilities to produce it orally. In the same
line, kaddour (2016, p. 6) declared that speaking skill promotes communicative efficiency,
i.e., the correct and fluent use of language. Also, Hossain (2015, p. 11) stated; the spoken
language function to socialize individuals, which is essential in forming personality, building
communities, transmitting cultures…etc. Further, according to Ishrat (2016, p. 3) (quoted in
Ghermaoui, 2018, p. 8), speaking skill importance does not only affect the professional career
but also extends to the personal life, because it helps in controlling the communications,
stating ideas, expressing feelings and sharing views with others, i.e. controlling the
relationships as a whole.
Furthermore, Widdowson (1990, p. 27) (cited in Kaddour, 2016) deemed that learning
just the linguistic system is neither sufficient nor appropriate to successfully communicate
with the target language, “Because knowledge of the language code alone does not explain the
demands of communication and interaction with others in the FL.” That is to say, FL learners
will need more than just rules to use in their life. Moreover, Burkart and Sheppard (2004)
asserted that carrying a conversation is sufficient evidence of learning a language.
In FLL, speaking skill is deemed to be the most important skill among the four skills to
acquire the target language, as stated by Srinivas Rao (2018, p. 8). As in English, speaking
skill has vital importance because it helps in acquiring the language and can raise EFL
learners' motivation during the classes according to Nunan (1999), and Celce-Murcia (2001)
(cited in Torky, 2006, p. 14). Furthermore, regarding its international place as the world's
current lingua franca (Khodorkovsky, 2013), Dincer (2017, p. 104) declared that improving
speaking skills in English is the most demanding crucial skill role in personal, professional,
and interpersonal cases. Hence, unique methods and attention are required for teaching and
learning it regarding the skill importance.
3. Teaching speaking skill

As Hossain (2015) stated, the process of teaching speaking skill is seen as a crucial part
of the foreign language teaching operation, since it requires from the teacher to create the
perfect environment full of confidence and motivation for learners. (2015, p. 3)
3.1 Speaking Skill and Teaching Methods

According to Kürüm (2016), the aims of teaching foreign languages have changed,
giving to the role of that foreign language in society. For that reason, FLT methods have
redirected its goals with time to meet new demands where he gave a historical background
concerning EFL teaching methods that highlighted the focus on different aspects of speaking
skill.
Firstly, Direct Method in the 1890s had changed the view of teaching foreign languages
entirely in a way speaking and listening were the most essential skills to focus on, where the
use of the target language was strictly present in the classroom and grammar rules were
explicitly avoided yet were secretly disguised within phrases (Kürüm, 2016). Moreover,
Audio Lingual method was an approach in which speaking skill was taught via listening and
repetition, as Kürüm (2016) noted: “The repetition activities were believed to achieve
automation of speaking skills, and language was accepted as a continuum of hierarchically
formed structures from easy to more complex” (Morley, 1993 as cited in Kürüm, 2016).
Hence, repetition is considered the simple basis of acquiring the spoken language.
At the beginning of the 1980s, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was
introduced to the FLT, and one of its main points was the primary emphasis on the different
communicational and functional aspects of EFL. Moreover, Finocchiaro and Brumfit (1983)
stated that the main purpose behind using this method in teaching EFL is to develop the
learner’s attainment of communicative competence (Kürüm, 2016).
2.2 Organizing a Speaking Skill Classroom
According to Harmer (2007), for a teacher to present a new lesson concerning the
speaking skill, he/she needs to follow a specific model to make sure of the good and correct
sequence of the lessons, which may be presented in the following figure:

to to to start
involve
demonstr
the to give
ate the feedback
students task activity
Figure 3: Speaking Skill Classroom Organization (By the researchers)
 To involve students: Before starting any activity concerning speaking skill, the
teacher needs first to engage his students and make them familiar with the topic of the task.
This step of is so vital because it prepares the students and makes them more comfortable and
motivated to start performing.
 To demonstrate the task: The second step is based on giving instructions and
explaining the task, where the teacher will give the first look and demonstrate the activity in
front of the students as a general idea. At this step, the teacher may ask for a student’s
participation to make the description more authentic for other students to have a better
understanding of what they are supposed to do.
 To start the activity: At this moment, it is for the teacher to give the green light to
start the activity after pointing the instructions, i.e. the experience should be done in groups,
pairs, or individually. Besides, they need to know how much time they have to finish the task.
 To give feedback: Within this final step, it is time for the teacher to give the students
feedback after finishing the task. The feedback concerning a speaking skill activity may be
about the way students had performed, the level of the language used, and whether they
enjoyed doing such type of activities or not. At this point, Harmer (2007) noted that it is so
essential for teachers to choose the language they would use in giving feedback and its
content, for that the students may judge their teachers through the comments they hear from
them.
3.3 Classroom speaking skill activities
As Richards (2008) clarified in his paper about teaching listening and speaking, the
teacher should consider multiple components to decide which classroom activity takes place
each time, regarding learner needs and which type of speaking skill learners need to learn.
Therefore, Richards (2008) provided three primary subjects that must be referred to before
choosing the activities: teaching talk as interaction, teaching talk as a transaction, and
teaching talk as performance (p. 25).
 Teaching talk as interaction
Teaching how to interact might be a difficult task for teachers for that it is a
multifaceted operation as Richards (2008) noted, “talk as interaction is perhaps the most
difficult skill to teach since interactional talk is very complex as well as subtle phenomena
that takes place under the control of “unspoken” rules” (p. 25). That is why he proposed the
following activities to teach interaction:
 Small talk: Students are to be given everyday topics to talk about, where a small
interaction starts with a comment around a common matter both participants share knowledge
about, such as the weather, the syllabus, famous shows.
 Back channeling: Another activity the teacher may use in the classroom is “Back
channeling,” which means, as Richards (2008) claimed, “another important aspect of talk as
interaction and involves responding to a conversational partner with expressions such as
“That’s interesting”, “yeah”, “really”’ (p. 26). The teacher may practice back channeling
through provided dialogues where feedback expressions are missing, and it is up to students to
choose the correct ones and then use them while performing the dialogue.
 The hot seat: This activity is ultimately student-centered one, where the learner sits
on a chair in front of all his classmates, and he/she will say a simple sentence such as “I went
to the beach last weekend,” and then his classmates are going to ask him three questions
concerning that exact sentence.
 Teaching talk as a transaction
According to Richards (2008), transactional talk is the speaking skill learners need to
develop to make their speaking understood and deliver their message well; hence, the
message is the crucial element. These subsequent activities are to be efficient to obtain such
speaking ability:
 Group discussion: This type of task takes place within groups of students where they
have the freedom to give several debatable, authentic, and real-life topics and then exchange
them with other groups. Next, they will discuss those topics and try to present their opinions
and to convey the audience.
 Role Play: This kind of technique is so familiar within speaking skill classrooms. To
well achieve this activity and get positive results, some doings should be involved, just as
Richards (2008) recommended
 Preparing: reviewing vocabulary, real world knowledge related to the content and
context of the role-play (e.g., returning a faulty item to a store).
 Modeling and eliciting: demonstrating the stages that are typically involved in the
transaction, eliciting suggestions for how each stage can be carried out, and teaching the
functional language need for each stage.
 Practicing and reviewing: students are assigned roles and practice a role-play using
cue cards or realia to provide language and other support.

Role-play is a vital activity in teaching oral expression, where it helps students to
express themselves in various forms of language and with using their imagination and get in
the shoes of a different character to send a specific message to the community and the
audience. (Hossian, 2015, p. 18)
 Teaching talk as performance
In teaching talk as performance, a completely different type of activity will be used
where learners will learn a new aspect of speaking skill. Richards (2008) explained that, such
ability requires from a teacher to provide oral presentations, speech models, audio and video
recordings, and written texts, and it is up to students to examine and decompose that piece of
language to get its real linguistic functions. Richards (2008) provided a set of questions that
may guide this process:
 What is the speaker’s purpose?
 Who is the audience?
 What kind of information does the audience expect?
 How does the talk begin, develop and end? What moves or stages are involved?
 Is any special language used?
Other researchers presented other classroom speaking skills activities. On the one hand,
according to Hossian (2015), the following activities are of practical use to teach oral skills:
a. Pictures stories: in a classroom, students will be given a set of pictures that tell a
story, it is up to them to put these pictures in order to interpret it, and then they sit in a circle
and tell the story by themselves.
b. Problem solving: this activity is a type of discussion task so all students will
participate, discuss and share information and ideas to come up with a solution to solve that
problem.
c. Surveys and questionnaires: such a technique is used between students themselves
to prepare a set of questions concerning a specific topic, and then they will ask those
questions to other students to analyze them and collect information.
Moreover, Mazouzi (2013) provided these following classroom communicative tasks as
a helpful set of activities to develop speaking skills. Such activities are recommended in the
classroom for the multiple results like building a connection between the teacher and the
students and relaxing the learning atmospheres, to gain more knowledge about new linguistics
features of the language:
 Chain story: this funny activity should be initiated first by the teacher; in a way,
he/she will give the first idea of a story and then pass the turns to the students to each gives a
new path of how the story will turn.
 Academic presentations: it is the most used activity in which students take turns to
present an academic topic with the essential characteristics, and then a discussion takes place
concerning the topic presented by the student. A presentation may be shared between a pair of
students, a group, or individually.
 Find the differences: This activity is about giving two students two different pictures
with slight differences, then the students will describe each picture they are holding and it is
up to the rest of the students to guess the differences. This task’s aim is to create competitive
atmosphere in the classroom.
4. Teaching Speaking skill via ICTs
According to Naciri (2019), it is significant for FL teachers and learners to focus on the
speaking skill due to its importance in fulfilling a correct and successful communication.
Therefore, it becomes essential to introduce information and communication technologies into
the foreign language classroom.

4.1. Teacher’s role
Wheeler (2000) explained that, with the presence of any form of ICTs in a classroom,
the role of the teacher is in an absolute state of change from the traditional one. He
additionally claimed that, the new knowledge sources and teaching materials brought with the
use of ICTs would automatically lead to having a new image of the role a teacher would
perform.
As Mahini, Forushan, and Haghani (2012) stated, the fact that an ICT based classroom
is a learner-centered classroom, which generates changing in the usual teacher role. Mullamaa
(2010) explained in her paper "ICT in Language Learning - Benefits and Methodological
Implications" that teachers' role in a classroom where ICTs are present and used is more of
advisors, where they should help their students to develop their abilities by sharing their
knowledge. Besides, one of the main characteristics teachers need to maintain is motivation,
where they should always be that encouraging symbol learner looks at and takes confidence
and courage from.
Benmeddah (2017) has indicated that teachers who use ICTs in their classroom are
more like facilitators in terms of explaining and simplifying the use of the different
technological tools to their students to make sure that they understand how different ICTs
work effectively. Furthermore, Benmeddah (2017) has proposed another role concerning
wisely choosing the tools that will be used in the classroom, because if the teachers fails in
selecting the right tool, it may lead to get the students confused and not interested. The
additional important point is that teachers must be creative in selecting and using ICTs to keep
learners excited and interested in the coming sessions.
As Kavitharaj (2017) noted: "the role of teacher will change from an instructor's role to
that of a coordinator." (p. 846). In other words, ICTs have changed the image teachers used to
have in the traditional teaching concept, from being leaders and centers of the course to
coaches and monitors helping in discovering the students’ abilities and potentials.
4.2 ICT Tools and Devices Used in Teaching Speaking Skill
As Benmeddah (2017) claimed, ICTs turned to be an essential element in the foreign
language-teaching field, bringing a new task for teachers. In a classroom where new
technologies are used, EFL teachers should know which tools are more useful to teach
speaking skill. (p. 37)
Thamarana and Mounika (2018), in their paper “Teaching Speaking Skills Online:
Prospects and Possibilities,” proposed the following ICT tools that help teachers in choosing
the right tool to teach each speaking skill:
A. Vocaroo (http://vocaroo.com): it is a free web application where both students and
teachers do not have to register for using it; this platform gives a chance for recording audios
at any possible length and sharing it between teachers and students or between students
themselves.
B. Google Hangout (https://www.hangouts.google.com/ ): this application is available
on both computer and smart-phones, and it provides the opportunity to experience video and
audio chatting. Students may enjoy such experience by the different funny emoji and by
sending pictures, besides this application provides the ability of group video chatting, which
can be so helpful with distance learning.
C.AudioPal (http://www.audiopal.com/index.html): as Thamarana and Mounika
(2018) noted; AudioPal is an online utility through which one can record audios and add them
to their personal website. Through this application, students can be asked to record their
assignments and upload them into the common website created by the teacher, for sharing and
evaluation purpose. In AudioPal, students can record their voice by phone or by using
computer mic. In case, if the students do not know how to pronounce a word or a phrase then
they can use the text-to speech feature of this application where the application itself coverts
the text typed into speech. (p. 4)
In other words, this online tool enables students to communicate with recorded audios
with both their teachers and classmates; also, it provides the ability to convert a written text
into a speech in case a student did not get the correct pronunciation.
D. Fotobabble (http://www.fotobabble.com/): This application allows the students to
take a picture then share it with the teacher and the classmates, and then each one will have a
chance to describe it with audio recording.
E. Spreaker (http://www.spreaker.com/): it is a free application that gives the
students the chance to communicate in the form of radio shows in a way each student may
host his show and has his teacher and classmates as guests. This application is so much useful
as Thamarana, and Mounika (2018) explained “the relationship between the instructor and the
student is more real in asynchronous online context rather than in wide university classrooms
where the instructor is not able to “reach” every individual.” (p. 4)other benefits Spreaker
affords, the chance to listen to other native speaker’s radio shows and learn different
pronunciation types from them.
F. Skype and WhatsApp: these famous video-chat applications can also be applied in
the educational field where foreign language students may use video calls to present, share
and perform their group works or tasks acoustically together. Tasks may be done by creating
group chats so teacherswill send the instructions and get the assignment.
5. Learning Speaking Skill via ICTs
As Dhanda (2015) pointed out in her paper, “ Change in Student and Teacher Roles Using
Technology in Classroom”, technology in education have been investigated for more than
fifty years as results indicated that ICTs are extremely effective in enhancing the learning
process.
5.1 Role of the Learner and his main characteristics
According to Benmeddah (2017), students’ role in ICT based classroom changes from
the original role they used to have in the traditional learning concept. Student will be more in
charge of their studies; they will be more dynamic and present in the classroom by learning
and applying what they know about these technologies in their studies.
Moreover, Dhanda (2015) noted, “the student is actively making choices about how to
generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more
students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than
is typical in teacher-led lessons”. (p. 45). That is to say, students by the use of these
technologies while receiving information are being active recipients by analyzing,
constructing and decoding what either the teacher or the web sources have transmitted.
As Lam and Lawrence (2002) implied that the learner will turn to be more autonomous
and responsible on his studies. In other words, by using ICTs, learners will face the fact that
knowledge is now available without teacher’s supervision; students are now leaders of their
study journey. (Cited in Piret Luik and Hasso Kukemelk, 2008)
However, Brich (2001) (as cited in Federico Borges 2008) proposed a list of five main
characteristics, which students should obtain to be good online learners.

1. Operational: a good ICTs user for education purposes should have the ability and
knowledge about how to use correctly these tools, where he/she needs to know how to search,
communicate, download, navigate and present tasks and assignments with different
technological devices.
2. Cognitive Competence: this characteristic is represented in knowing how to extract
course materials, how to find the necessary and authentic courses to work with, how to use
critical thinking while dealing with tasks and courses, and to know when and how to ask help
from the teacher and provide it for classmates.
3. Collaboration: an online learner should know how to communicate with classmates
and teachers, and to express effectively his/her opinion clearly. Besides, being well engaged
in group-works and participate with ideas, solutions and feedbacks. Collaboration also means
to accept other’s comments and try to learn from it.
4. Self-Directing:is about time management, source organization, and learning plans
preparation to avoid any problems or obstacles, which may result in stress, frustration and
panic while preparing or doing a task. This characteristic is so important for online learners
for the fact that by self-directing a student will set a couple of goals and focus on them.
5. Course-Specific: this point has to do with stating the content of the course, to make
use of other students’ contributions about the course, to be aware about the language used
with teacher and classmates, and to write down any new vocabularies the student thinks may
need in other situations.
These five characteristics are illustrated in the following figure:

Cognetive
competence Collaboration
Operational
Self-Directing Course-Specific
Figure 4: Five Characteristics of Online Learners (By the researchers)
5.2 ICT Tools Used to Learn Speaking Skill
According to Dang (2011), owing to the presence and use of ICT tools and means in the
educational field, foreign language learners have the opportunity to learn from authentic,
correct, and real sources in a way they will get more exciting and enjoyable experience for the
different amusing technological devices in service. As Londhe and Panade (2016) proposed
multiple ICTs to enhance the autonomy of learners and facilitate the FLL process, such as:
Smart-boards: a new technology used either inside classrooms where learners can
learn from visual interactions or audio communication where they listen and then discuss the
given topic.
Video-Conferencing (zoom): this tool is considered one of the best ways for learners to
learn how to communicate and develop their linguistic capacities by having either audio or
video chats with teachers, classmates, or even native speakers.
Social-Media: Variety applications are now considered as a means of learning, such as
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, for the fact that they provide the chance for learners to
contact the real world and experience authentic language and new vocabulary.
Online Platforms (Babbel, Busuu, Livemocha, SharedTalk, and iTalki): these
online platforms offer a fantastic experience for EFL learners to enjoy learning for the
dynamic process they have in a way all can be presented and corrected immediately, to avoid
boredom and make sure that learners are always excited to learn.
Adulkareem and Chouthaiwale (2018) classified these technological tools to non-web-
based and web-based devices where they divided them as following:
 Non-web-based tools:
a. Television and Radio: which offer authentic language with affordable access and
unique audio-visual content because they are available in every home, besides supporting
learner’s autonomy.
b. Films: are another tool that can be used smartly for the reason that they provide rich
content for learners, from new vocabulary to accents, tones, and different types of
pronunciations.
 Web-based Tools:
a. YouTube: an online platform where videos of different content can be found, such
as easy English videos where learners watch, learn and even pass quizzes all in one video.
b. E-mail (Yahoo, G-mail, and Hotmail): another chatting tool that students may use
to chat and communicate with people from different places in the world where cultural and
linguistic exchange occurs.
c. Mobile Phone: new helpful applications can be downloaded and used with smart-
phones, just like dictionaries that English learners need for checking spelling and correct
pronunciation and meaning of words.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) official website has updated some of the
useful online platforms for EFL learners like “Aurasma, Plotagon, Genially, and
LearningApps.” Besides, an EFL teacher has posted an article on the same website (BBC)
where she recommended “Edmodo” as the perfect tool for learners to use for speaking skills
to find links of authentic inputs sent by teachers and learn from them.
6. ICTs impact on Speaking Skill
Naciri (2019) affirmed, in her study entitled “The Use of ICT to Enhance Students’
Speaking Skill,” that bringing ICTs in an educational context has a viable role in enhancing
and improving language learning in general and speaking skill in particular. He further
concluded his study with supporting findings concerning the positive impact ICTs have on
speaking skill, such as providing interactions between teachers and learners, promoting
learners’ autonomy, motivation, and self-confidence. In the same regard, the researcher
studied some ICT tools and platforms like social media, computers, Online facilities for
English language learning, and Podcasting, which can help in socialize the learners as
familiarizes them with the target language also helps in learning situational language due to
the authentic aids they provide.
As in learning EFL, Hoopingarner (2009) (cited in Kareem, 2017) also considered ICT
tools, like Skype and Oovoo suggested by Kareem (2017), as useful aids to improve English
pronunciation through practice and authentic interactions that internalize the language.
Indeed, Kramsch and Throne (2002) (cited in Ghedeir Brahim & Nesba, 2020) said; ICTs are
the suitable ground to get unprecedented opportunities to authentically practice English,
which, in return, boosts speaking skills. Hence it facilitates language acquisition and linguistic
skill mainly as Stephen Krashen said, "Acquisition requires meaningful interactions in the
target language – natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form
of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding." He also
stated, "In the real world, conversations with sympathetic native speakers who are willing to
help the acquirer understand are constructive." (Cited in Schütz, 1998).

Moreover, even though integrating ICTs in learning was aimed to improve the process,
as was clarified in the first chapter, and to enhance speaking skill, it has been exposed to
skepticism. Formality can be the central issue in this line; as Bhamare (2018) in his work
entitled “Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills,” the extensive use of such ICTs
would develop the use of slang or even informal terms. In other words, Using ICTs to
improve speaking skills would also have negative impacts, especially in autonomous learning
cases; the learner would unintentionally adopt non-academic online expressions and informal
terms.
Conclusion
Speaking skill is an interactive skill that has great importance in EFL, like helping acquiring
the language more effectively and raising the learner’s motivation. Hence, with time, the
focus on speaking skill started to gain more attention in FLT methods. Therefore, speaking
skill classroom should be well organized with the use of the appropriate oral activities.
Additionally, with integrating ICTs in teaching/learning oral expression, both teacher and
learner’s role changed; teachers would be more as guides and facilitators, whereas learners
would be more autonomous and responsible. Finally, this integration of ICTs in
teaching/learning speaking skill may influence the skill; positively, like facilitating the
process and providing authentic practice, and negatively, like adopting non-academic
expressions and informal terms.

Chapter
Three
Questionnaire and Interview
Descriptions and Analyses
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..……47
1. Research methodology ...............................................................................................47
2. Students’ questionnaire ..............................................................................................48
2.1 Description of Students’ Questionnaire .........................................................48
2.2 Analysis of Student’s Questionnaire .............................................................49
2.3 Summary of Students’ Questionnaire results..................................................69
3. Teachers’ Interview .....................................................................................................72
3.1 Description of Teacher’ Interview....................................................................72
3.2 Analysis of Teachers’ Interview ......................................................................72
3.3 Summary of Teachers Interview results ...........................................................96
4. General Findings ..........................................................................................................98
5. Pedagogical Implications..............................................................................................99
6. Limitations of the Study.............................................................................................102
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................102
Introduction
The vital place technologies occupy in all the fields is well noticed, including education.
Hence, two research questions have been raised to investigate the efficiency of ICTs in
developing students’ speaking skill during the COVID19 confinement, and the various
obstacles both teachers and students have faced within this experience. In this regard, two
research methods were conducted: an interview administered to teachers and a questionnaire
for Master Two students at the Badji Mokhtar University of Annaba.
1. Research Methodology
In order to meet the research questions, two different research tools were designed. An
interview directed to EFL oral expression teacher at Badji Mokhtar University and a
questionnaire to Master Two EFL Science of Language at the same university.
Easwaramoorthy and Zarinpoush (2006) clarified, “interviews are an appropriate method
when there is a need to collect in-depth information on people’s opinions, thoughts,
experiences, and feelings.” Besides, according to Mathers, Fox and Hunn (n.d), the interview
is a significant data collection technique that includes a physical communication between the
interviewer and interviewee, such techniques are mostly used in survey designs or in
descriptive studies. Additionally, (Mather et al., 2006) stated that there are three main types of
the interview, a structured, semi-structured and in-depth interview. Abawi (2017, p.10)
believes that “Questionnaires allow collection of both subjective and objective data in a large
sample of the study population in order to obtain results that are statistically significant,
especially when resources are limited.” In this work, we used the semi-structured interview,
since we want to collect different opinions and thoughts of the teachers.

2. Students’ questionnaire
The questionnaire was administered to 50 master two students of the English
Department in the University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, after being piloted on 4 participants
to investigate their overall learning experience through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement precisely on the oral expression session and speaking skill. Moreover, it attempts
to highlight the main obstacles they faced and the efficiency of ICTs in developing their
speaking skill during the period.
2.1 Description of Students’ Questionnaire
The questionnaire contains 27 questions. The questions vary between closed-ended
questions; in which the students are supposed to choose one of the suggested answers, open-
ended questions; in which they are asked to express their thoughts in full sentences freely, and
multiple choices questions, in which they are free to choose more than one answer or to add
their own answer when needed.
The questions are categorized into five sections; each section aims to gather specific
pieces of information. The first section, entitled “General information,” involves three
questions concerning the students’ age, level in English, and speaking skill level. The second
section is entitled “ICTs Use,” with six questions concerning the students’ use of ICTs in
learning outside and inside the classroom, in addition to their views about this integration
concept. Thirdly, “Speaking skill before COVID19 confinement” contains five questions
concerning the participation frequency in oral expression sessions and the activities used as
well as the challenges they face in presenting orally. The fourth section, “Speaking skill and
ICTs during the COVID19 confinement,” includes twelve questions about the students’
experience of learning through ICTs during the confinement: the usedICT tools, the obstacles
faced, the change they brought, their views about the experience and the skills enhanced. The
last section, “Suggestions,” is through which students are supposed to propose suitable
solutions they see fruitful for better oral expression sessions through ICTs, which will
enhance the speaking skill.
2.2 Analysis of Students’ Questionnaire:
In the following analysis, tables will be used for yes/no questions, figures for closed-
ended questions, and both forms for the rating scale question.
Section One: General information
Q1: How old are you?
Age Number Percentage
21 01 2%
22 21 42%
23 14 28%
24 09 18%
25 03 6%
35 02 4%
Total 50 100%
Table3: Students’ Age
Table 3 demonstrates the students’ age. As it can be noticed, they are aged between 21,
35 years old, and the majority 42% are 22 years old. While only one student 2% is 21 years
old, 28% of the participants are 23 years old, and 18% of them age 24 years old. Followed by
6% of the students who are 25 years old, and finally only 4% are 35 years old. Hence, the
students’ mean age is 23 years old.

Q2: How do you consider your level in English?
0%
32%
Good
Average
68%
Poor
Figure5: Students’ level in English
Figure 5 shows that more than half of the students 68% think their level in English is
good, whereas 32% of them evaluate their level as average. Therefore, 0% of the students
chose poor as their level, i.e., no one believes that s/he has a poor level in English.
Q3: How do you consider your level in the speaking skill in English?
Choices Number Percentage
A- Good 24 48%
B- Average 24 48%
C- Poor 02 04%
Total 50 100%
Table4: Students’ level in speaking skill
Table 4 shows that 48% of the students believe their speaking skill level is good, and
also 48% consider their level as average. While only 4% of the students consider their
speaking skill level poor.

Section Two: ICTs use

Q4: What learning shapes you are most familiar with?
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Blended Learning Distance Learning Face-to-face Online Learning
Learning
Figure6: students’ most familiar learning shapes
According to figure 6, more than half of the students 68% are familiar with face-to-face
learning, and 34% of them are used to online learning. While other students 24% are more
conversant with distance learning whereas only 6% of them are acquainted with blended
learning.
Q5:How often do you use ICTs for learning outside the classroom?
Rarely
0%
8% Sometimes
Always
34%
58% Never
Figure7: students’ rate of using ICTs in their learning
Figure 7 shows that a significant percentage 58% of the students always use ICTs for
learning, while 34% of them sometimes rely on it, and only 8% rarely utilize ICTs in their
learning. Therefore, it can be noticed that the frequency of using ICTs in learning varies
among the students but they all utilize it i.e. no one omitted ICTs from their learning process.
Q6:What is your most used ICT device or means for learning?
Computer
Television
Smart-Phone
Internet
Social-Media
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Figure8: ICT devices and tools used by the students
Figure8 demonstrates that the majority of the students 80% prefer to use the internet as
a means for learning, while 74% of them like using computers and more than half of them
64% prefer to learn with smart phones. Besides, social media is the favorite used means for
learning for 30% of the students and only 2% of them prefer learning through television.
Q7: Do you think it is beneficial to use ICTs for learning?
Choices Numbers Percentage
A- Yes 45 90%
B- No 05 10%
Total 50 100%
Table5: students’ opinion on the utility of ICTs in learning
Table 5 demonstrates that the majority of the students (90%) believe that ICTs are
beneficial and useful for learning, whereas only 10% think it is not that beneficial.
Q8: If yes, please explain
From the students’ answers, it can be concluded that ICTs are helpful and beneficial in
learning because of many reasons that can be classified as follows:
▪ Facilitating and improving the learning process:
According to students’ answers, such as:
o “Because ICTs facilitate the learning process, you can find anything in internet
information answers to your questions. Learning becomes easy with them.”
o “Of course it is beneficial because of the amount of information we find in internet or
social media, the exchange of information between us and communication with people all
around the world that helps us to develop our skills.”
o “Yes if the tools are used correctly, because they facilitates the process and the
teacher-learner contact.”
ICTs are beneficial in facilitating and improving the learning process due to the rapid
and free availability of information, which helps in understanding the lessons more and
dealing with homework. In the same vein, these technologies enable teachers and students to
keep in contact regardless of time/place conditions.
▪ Providing various sources:
Other students find ICTs helpful regarding the various useful aids they provide, such as
the numerous resources that supply them with valuable information to accomplish their
studies. As well as getting extra explanations besides the ones provided by the teacher in the
classroom to have a deeper understanding, to check additional information, and to clarify the
ambiguous points or practice, where some of them answered as follow:
o “With current technological advancements, ICTs are inseparable from learning since
they provide an infinite ocean of knowledge for free.”
o “You can check different sources in any topic.”
o “ICTs help to conduct more information from different sources.”
▪ Boosting learners’ autonomy and positive attitude:
Based on other students’ answers like:
o “Because these technologies encourage autonomous learning and collaboration

between students.”
o “They are considered as prerequisite tools that enable learners to improve their
understanding and autonomy.”
o “They develop my attitude towards learning because I became more responsible and
independent.”
They consider ICTs as a boost that enhances their perception of learning. Namely, they
believe that with integrating these technologies in learning, their stand shifts from depending
on the teacher to being more autonomous and more responsible when dealing with
understanding and working on their level.
Q9: As Master Two English student, do you think ICTs in your classroom are:
6%
36%
Well exploited
Not fully exploited
58%
Not used at all
Figure 9: students’ views towards the actual use of ICTs inside their classrooms
Figure 9 shows that students’ views concerning the use of ICTs in their classroom
varies; while more than half of them 69% see they are not fully used in the classroom, 28%
believe they are not used at all and only 3% think that ICTs are well exploited.
Section Three: Speaking skill before the COVID19 confinement
Q10: How often have you used to present in oral expression sessions in the classroom?
Always
18% Rarely
26%
Frequently
56%
Figure10: students’ frequency of participation in oral classes
Concerning students’ answers presented in figure 10, more than half of the students
63% used to present on a recurrent basis in oral expressions classes, while 25% frequently
participated with oral presentations, and only 12%, used to rarely present in oral expression
sessions.
Q11: Did you face difficulties in presenting orally?
A- Yes 36 72%
B- No 14 28%
Total 50 100%
Table6: students’ views concerning facing difficulties in oral presentations
As table 6 presents, 72% face some difficulties when presenting orally, and 28% had no
troubles in oral presentations. As a result, it can be noticed that a large number of students
experience problems in speaking orally even though in Q3 almost half of them 48% have
stated that their level of speaking skill is good.
Q12:What are your most challenging difficulties in oral presentations?

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Fluency Low self- Stage fright Language
confidence profeciency
Figure 11: students’ core challenges in oral presentation
Based on figure 11, psychological elements are the main obstacles most of the students
share, 58% have stage fright, and 44% stated that low self-confidence is what prevents them
from performing well orally. While others 30% have fluency problems, and 22% face troubles
with language proficiency.
Q13: According to you, speaking skill is important in learning EFL because it helps
in:
Having a good reputation as an EFL… 8%
Boosting the learner's motivation and… 20%
expressing correctely feelings and… 18%
Building social bonds 4%
Carrying an effective communication 50%
Figure12: students’ opinion about the main objective to learn speaking skill in
EFL
According to figure 12, 50% of the students believe that it is essential to master
speaking skills when learning English as a foreign language because it helps in carrying an
effective communication with English native speakers. While 20% of the students consider
the primary goal of speaking skill is to boost the learner’s motivation and confidence, 18% of
them agreed that speaking skill is important to express feelings and thoughts clearly and
correctly. Only 8% of the students think that for a learner to save his reputation as an EFL
student, s/he needs to focus on speaking skill, and a low percentage of the students 4% believe
that to build relationships and social bonds, a good level in speaking skill is a must when
learning English.
Q14: In your oral expression session, what is the most used activity?
6% 4% Discussions
Role Play
46% Oral presentations
38% Small Talks
Communicative Activities
6%
Figure 13: Students’ most used activities in oral expression sessions
Figure 13 presents 46% of the students practice oral discussions in the classroom, while
38% chose oral presentations as the common activity they frequent in oral expression
sessions. Two activities, “role play and small talks,” were selected by the same number of
students 6%, and only 4% of the other students used to have communicative activities in the
classroom.
Section Four: ICTs and speaking skill during COVID19

confinement
Q15: How often did you use to participate in oral expression online sessions
during the COVID19 confinement?
16%
Rarely
34%
18% Sometimes
Always
32% Never
Figure14: Students’ participation in oral expressions online session during the

COVID19 confinement
As it is shown in figure 14, the majority of the students (34%), rarely used to participate
in oral expression online sessions, and 32% sometimes joined. While only 18% of the
students attended all the online sessions, reflecting the few students’ attendances mentioning
that 16% of them have never assisted any session.
Q16: Which ICT platform you used for oral expression sessions during the
COVID19 confinement?
E-mail
Sanako
Zoom
Instagram/facebook
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Figure15: the platforms used for oral expression sessions during the COVID19
confinement
Figure 15 reveals that Instagram and Facebook were the only social platforms used for
master two oral expression sessions during the pandemic.

Q17: Did you find the previous ICTs helpful?
A- Yes 39 78%
B- No 11 22%
Total 50 100%
Table7: students’ point of view on the effectiveness of the ICTs used
Based on table7, 78% found the used ICT tools in online learning helpful and beneficial,
while 22% believe that they were not effective.
Q18: if no, please explain:
For the 22% of the students who thought that the means mentioned in question 16 were
not helpful, clarified that:
● “Insufficient and ineffective. Poor connection quality. These tools are not always
mastered by everyone due to lack of training.”
● “The majority of those means that we use to learn are not helpful because when we
present orally through Instagram or Facebook we cannot discuss as we used to in normal
classes.”
● “Not really, the platforms used were not motivating.”
● “Not all of them, the platforms were not easy to deal with and did not function.”
● “It was hard without the actual presence of the teacher. She was not able to evaluate us
and correct our mistakes. Also, I am that kind of learner who can learn more when I am in real
learning process condition as real classroom, So, it was not really helpful for me.”
● “The platforms were not helpful in term of passive contacting with teachers and our
classmates and it did not felt like actual learning.”

Concerning students’ answers, the previous means “Facebook and Instagram” were not
helpful because of the nature of the used platforms, i.e. the live feature in both Instagram and
Facebook were not that much interactive because it allowed only one students to participate
with the teacher. Therefore, the environment in general was passive and students were de-
motivated to participate.
Q19: Based on your experience, do you think online learning of oral

expression during the COVID19 confinement was successful?
A- Yes 14 28%
B- No 36 72%
Total 50 100%
Table8: students’ opinion on the online learning experience during COVID19

confinement
According to table 8, 72% find that the online learning experience of oral expression
during the confinement was not successful, while 28% of them stated that it was a good
experience.
Q20: What were the main obstacles faced during this experience?
Lack of Devices
Technological Literacy
Timing/Duration of the session
Technical Problems (internet connection/ lack

of accessibility)
Passivity of the process
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Figure16: The main obstacles faced in online oral expression sessions
According to figure 16, the majority of the students 74% had obstacles with technical
problems such as the internet quality and the lack of accessibility to the platforms. More than
half of them, 60% claimed that the passivity of the process prevented online learning from
being successful, and 40% of the students complained that timing and duration of the session
were one of the obstacles they faced. Besides, 32% had some personal problems when dealing
with the devices and tools i.e. limited technological literacy, and 28% did not possess the
needed technological devices.
Q21: What are the benefits of learning oral expression through ICTs during the
 “There is nothing better than to learn in the classroom with the teacher face to face,
however under the previous circumstances, ICTs were an alternative choice, where we
continued our oral sessions online.”
 “Because it was the only mean to carry on studying though it was not 100%
successful in Algeria.”
 “It has been successful, to a certain extent, especially with the current circumstances
of COVID19. We had the opportunity to explore new learning methods through video/audio
calls and improve our technological literacy; however, traditional teaching remains the better
option.”
 “The online environment offers unprecedented opportunities for people who would
otherwise have limited access to education, besides the new way of learning oral expression
which was a new experience.”
 “Through online calls and meetings we get the chance to use new forms of ICTs when
presenting orally.”
 “We felt more comfortable and at ease presenting online or through recorded video
because we were able to correct ourselves and present something good to the teacher.’
 “It facilitates the learning experience, especially for those who struggle to get to the
university since we were able to attend online classes from home.”
 “It helped us to use new technological ways in learning which was beneficial in
keeping pace with the latest learning methodologies and technological advances.”
From these answers, it can be generated that the experience of oral expression online
learning was beneficial, mainly because it allowed students to experience learning speaking
skill through new techniques with the use of ICTs, in a way they were more relaxed, stress-
free while presenting and interested in trying new tools. Besides, it was the only method to
cope with the confinement circumstances.
Q22: With learning oral expression through ICTs, do you think the role of the
teacher and the learner have changed?
A- Yes 45 90%
B- No 05 10%
Total 50 100%
Table9: Students’ perception about the role of the teacher and learner during
COVID19 confinement
Table 9 shows that the great majority of the students (90%) agreed that the role of both
teachers and learners have changed with learning with ICTs, while only few of them 10%
believed that it remained the same and no changes occurred.

Q23: Please, explain how?
● “Personally I think that the role of teachers is no longer important. The learners now
can rely on autonomous learning using different ICT means, which will result in the same
effective learning if not better.”
● “We can see more dynamic role of learners.”
● “We became autonomous learners and the teachers now are more familiar with the use
of ICTs.”
● “For students, they become more responsible and involved in their learning process
since they depend on themselves when selecting the topic and presenting it online.”
● “Use of ICTs in language learning makes the process of teaching and learning active,
interesting and motivating. ICTs have positive effects on student attitudes toward the
language teaching and learning. It is because, different resources like audio clips, video clips
in the target language make the oral presentations more interesting and learners get motivated
to present interesting topics each time or share their experiences.”
● “There is no real communication; teachers and same students are always the only
participants in online presentations. Also, majority of the students were not motivated to
participate and they were just virtually present without being creative.”
● “The learner became more of an active and responsible one for his own sake. While
teachers became more passive by just lunching the online lives or calls.”
● “Before the confinement, teachers used to guide, instruct and evaluate the students'
oral performance and students used to interact with their teachers and classmates in the
classroom, ask questions and get answers there but during the confinement both the teachers
and students roles have changed. Especially when the teachers' role was narrowed in which
they became the only participants in the online meetings and students didn’t get to interact as
they used to do in normal classes.”
Based on students’ answers, both teacher and learner roles have changed in two ways,
positive and negative. For most students, they have positively shifted to be more autonomous
and responsible for their studies; they look for additional explanations on the internet and
prepare their oral presentations on time. However, some students perceive that learners’ role
changed to be a bit passive, for they took the confinement conditions as an excuse to not
participate. Some students answered as follows:

o “For students, they become more responsible and involved in their learning process
since they depend on themselves when selecting the topic and presenting it online.”
o “The learners now can rely on autonomous learning using different ICT means,
which will result in the same effective learning if not better.”
o “There is no real communication; teachers and same students are always the only
participants in online presentations. Also, majority of the students were not motivated to
participate and they were just virtually present without being creative.”
o “We can see more dynamic role of learners.”
Additionally, the majority of the students approved on one main opinion, which is
teachers’ role that has deviated to a passive role responsible for just attending the online
interactions without proper evaluation or feedback, which affected even the students’
motivation and perception towards presenting online, where students declared:
o “Before the pandemic, teachers used to guide, instruct and evaluate the students' oral
performance and students used to interact with their teachers and classmates in the classroom,
ask questions and get answers there but during the pandemic both the teachers and students
roles have changed. Especially when the teachers' role was narrowed in which they became
the only participants in the online meetings and students didn’t get to interact as they used to
do in normal classes.”
o “Personally I think that the role of teachers is no longer important. The learners now
can rely on autonomous learning using different ICT means, which will result in the same
effective learning if not better.”
o “...While teachers became more passive by just lunching the online lives or calls.”
Q24: Are online presentations better than face-to-face?
A- Yes 24 48%
B- No 26 53%
Total 50 100%
Table10: students’ perception on online and face-to-face presentations

Table 10 represents master two students’ views, based on their experience, whether
presenting online via ICTs is better than classroom face-to-face presentations. It shows
that the majority of the students (53%) prefer face-to-face presentations and 48% of them
found presenting online better.
Q25: Online presentations are:
More interactive
0% Less interactive
4% 16% 18%
More comfortable
16%
46%
Less comfortable
More fun and

motivating
Less fun and motivating
Figure17: Students’ views about online presentations
Figure17 shows that half of the students perceived presenting through ICTs better than
face-to-face regarding 46% of them found it more comfortable as it was more fun and
motivating for 4% of them. However, for others16%, online presentations are less
comfortable, less motivating (16%), and less interactive (18%). Mentioning that all students
agree that presentations via ICTs are not as interactive as face-to-face, which illustrates the
passive environment during the session.
It is necessary to mention that; firstly, question 17 revealed that the majority found the
ICTs used helpful; Secondly, question 12 revealed that stage fright is the biggest difficulty
students face in face to face presentation; however, the majority stated that online
presentations are more comfortable in question 25. Hence, an interrogation mark can be raised
concerning why the majority of students still prefer face-to-face presentations more, and why
the rate of participation had been decreased?
Q26: In your perception:
*ICTs have positive impact on speaking skill *Presenting online is more stressful
*After learning oral expression through ICTs, my speaking skill has been enhanced
50% 54%
60% 46%
50% 38%
40% 24%
30% 22%
16% 12% 12% 12%
20% 10%
4%
10%
0%
ICT has positive presenting online is After learning oral
impact on speaking more stressful expression through
skill ICT, my speaking
skill has been
enhanced.
Strongly agree agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Figure18: Students’ perceptions on speaking skill and ICTs
Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly

agree disagree
ICTs have positive 16% 50% 22% 12%

impact on speaking
skill
presenting online is 10% 24% 54% 12%

more stressful
After learning oral 4% 38% 46% 12%

expression through
ICTs, my speaking
skill has been
enhanced.
Table11: Students’ perceptions on speaking skill and ICTs
The results from table11 and figure18 demonstrate that 16% of the students strongly
agree that ICTs positively affect speaking skill, while half of them (50%) agree less with the
statement. However, 22% disagree, and 12% strongly disagree about ICTs influence speaking
skill positively. Secondly, concerning the statement that says, “Presenting online is more
stressful”; more than half of students (54%) disagree while 12% strongly disagree, whereas;
24% agree and 10% strongly agree. Finally, 38% of master two students agree that their
speaking skill has been enhanced after learning oral expression through ICTs while 4%
strongly concur. However, with 46%, the majority disagrees with the statement, and 12%
strongly do.
Section Five: Suggestions
Q27: How is it possible to enhance the quality of oral expression session via ICTs
during the COVID19 period?
Based on master two students’ answers, many suggestions were provided for enhancing
online oral expression sessions and the speaking skill via ICT during the COVID period. The
suggestions can be categorized based on the perspective from which the students propose their
views as follows:
 The ICTs used:
o “Use more developed applications to make online courses in all modules not just
for oral expression sessions in which both teachers and learners can see and interact with each
other.”
o “I think that teachers have to use platforms like zoom that enables learners to interact
directly and effectively. Help learners to develop their thinking skills, interaction between
teacher / learner, boost learner motivation.”
o “Using professional platforms like zoom.”
o “Zoom and Google meet teachers should use them in order to facilitate the learning
process of EFL learners.”
o “Use the appropriate technological means that requires face to face interaction like
ZOOM.”
o “Use other applications like zoom and Google classroom instead of sending a video in
messenger or live in Facebook or Instagram.”
o “Through zoom meetings, for instance where everyone can be clearly heard and
seen.”
Based on the answers, almost all the students suggested using more interactive and oral
expression-specified platforms that enable them to have more communicative and active
sessions. In the same vein, students believe that; for a successful oral expression session
through ICTs, the kind of platforms used should be replaced with more appropriate and
suitable ones that mainly provide face-to-face meetings like Zoom and Google Meet through
which all students can easily participate with the guidance of the teacher.
 The teaching/ learning process
o “The online learning process should not make students passive.ie the teacher speaks
only and students provide written comments …etc. The teacher should do like a planning and
each session add a number of students to participate in the discussion orally and visually.”
o “The teacher should make the online learning process more enjoyable and funny in
which they should change their way of teaching every time applying different learning styles
and targeting different intelligences.”
o “Students can make role plays, film them and share them with the teacher who can
provide feedback and also students can comment.”
o “Do a group discussion rather than one to one.”
As they further suggested that, the process should be geared to activeness and
motivation, including new and different teaching methods to break the routine and get the
students motivated to participate. Such as designing engaging activities through which the
students can let their creativity and skills out as well as practicing the language.
 Learners’ attitudes
o “Be autonomous and responsible towards your learning and try to do more.”
o “Be autonomous never wait for teachers to enhance it especially during the pandemic.”
o “To be selective know what to follow and try to filter the language so that you avoid
the informality tricks.”
o “To prepare students to use ICTs more appropriately.”
In the same regard, other students see that when it comes to ICTs being the basis to
teach and learn oral expression or speaking skill, learners themselves are the key element that
should be focused on. In the same context, in order for the process to be effective and
successful, students should be first prepared and trained to use such technologies as their
responsibility is the most required by being autonomous, independent from the teacher, and
being selective in using ICTs to reduce the negative impact it could have on speaking skill.
 The system and government
o “If we have good internet access, it will provide good way and means to develop our
speaking skill.”
o “There is no suggestion or advice given in this subject but the one addressed to the
Algerian government to better the internet connection quality otherwise this kind of learning
is a waste of time.”
o “Use of ICTs for education during the COVID19 crisis and beyond is a reality for
which teachers and learners must be better prepared. This crisis marks the time for
government-led initiatives for schools to test innovative methods to reach out to students,
learn from other countries and incorporate effective approaches into the regular provision of
education. Digital technologies need to be integrated within sound learning program to create
effective student learning experiences. Countries need to make the necessary preparations to
better map teaching and learning needs for future crises in education. As a necessary step, this
requires collecting robust survey data on ICTs use in schools to adequately guide
policymaking.”
Moreover, some students believe that the whole academic system designed by the
government should be enhanced and re-organized, considering the new COVID19
circumstances to supply and provide all the aspects needed, significantly to better the internet
connection before anything else.
2.3 Summary of Students’ Questionnaire Results

Many results have been obtained from the questionnaire. From the first section, all the
students are adults, and the majority’s self-evaluation concerning the speaking skill varies
between good and average. The second section revealed that the majority are mostly familiar
with face-to-face learning. Furthermore, all the students use ICTs with different frequencies to
learn outside the classroom, for the majority believes it is beneficial in terms of facilitating
and improving the process, boosting learners’ autonomy and positive attitude, and providing
various sources. However, the majority of students believe ICTs are not used at all inside the
classroom. Hence, this new shift of learning through ICTs represented a new unconventional
experience that is hard to adapt to; in other words, the new process itself being unfamiliar is
challenging for the students.
Based on the third section’s answers, the participation rate in oral expression sessions
before the COVID19 confinement was satisfying. However, the majority faced difficulties
while presenting orally mainly the stage fright. Further, for most of the students, successfully
carrying a communication in English is the primary purpose of enhancing their speaking skill,
and discussions are the most activity used in the classroom.
The fourth section showed a noticeable reduction in the participation rate between the
usual oral expression classes and the sessions done through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement, which generated in a non-interactive environment, and Facebook/ Instagram
were the platforms used. While the majority found the used ICTs helpful, others faced
difficulties mainly concerning the platforms' nature as they consider them de-motivating
because they prevented them from having vivid interactions with teachers and classmates.
Moreover, most students did not find the online oral expression sessions a successful
experience, for the numerous obstacles they have faced, which are: technological literacy,
lack of devices, duration/ timing of the session, besides the technical problems including the
poor internet connection and lack of accessibility, which was the most common obstacle.
Also, the passivity of the process was an obstacle for the students, as they later related the
issue to the lack of teacher's feedback, as the majority insisted on the shift perceived in the
teacher's role to be more passive compared to their efforts made to be autonomous and
responsible.
Regarding the online oral presentations, the majority preferred the face-to-face
presentations more, although they found the online ones more comfortable. In the same vein,
the majority declared that ICTs are beneficial to get over the staged fright, but when it comes
to interaction, all the students agreed that online sessions are less interactive. Furthermore,
regarding the low rate of participation and the many complaints about the platforms not
allowing the students to have mutual discussions, it can be deemed that the students were not
interested in participating because they have lost the primary motivation to learn speaking
skill, which is communication in a rich-discussion environment. Hence, the students' speaking
skill level has not been enhanced after learning through ICTs, although the tools positively
influence the skill, mainly because they were de-motivated by the nature of the platforms
used.
Finally, this learning experience through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement has
enhanced the speaking skill for a good percentage but unfortunately not for the majority,
although it mainly helped them to get over the face-to-face presentations’ challenges.
Additionally, many obstacles have been highlighted during the experience, which are: the
technical problems concerning the poor internet connection and lack of accessibility, the lack
of devices, the low technological literacy, the passivity of the process, the duration/timing of
the sessions, and the unfamiliarity with the new process, in addition to the nature of the
platforms used. In the same vein, all students through the final section suggested using other
interactive platforms that are appropriate for oral expressions sessions.

3. Teachers’ Interview
The teachers’ interview is a semi-structured one that was first piloted then administered
to 10 English oral expression teachers, to know how they think about integrating ICTs in
teaching oral expression, and how both teachers and learners may use different ICTs in a
better way to enhance speaking level.
3.1 Description of Teachers’ Interview
This interview aims to gather data concerning teachers' perception of the experience of
teaching oral expression during the COVID19 confinement, the main obstacles faced, and the
influence of the experience on the students’ speaking skill. This interview is based on open-
ended questions, and it contains 12 questions mentioned in Appendix B.
3.2 Analysis of Teachers’ Interview
Question1: How do you consider your students’ speaking skill?
According to teachers’ answers, the overall speaking skill level of students can be
categorized under three different levels. Firstly, for T#2 and T#5 students’ speaking skill
overall level is more than average:
T#2: “More than average, for that the level of learners speaking skill is getting better
comparing to the first years.”
T#5: “The level of my students is more than average.”
Secondly, according to T#3, T#8, and T#9, the students’ level is average:
T#3: “For speaking skill generally, I believe that the level of my students is average.”
T#8: “I consider it average.”
T#9: “I consider my students’ speaking skill level average.”

Thirdly, T#6 and T#10 consider the speaking skill generally less than average:
T#6: “I consider my students’ speaking skill level Less than average.”
T#10: “In general I consider the students’ speaking skill level Less than average.”
Moreover, T#1, T#4, and T#7 stated that the speaking skill level depends and varies
among the students:
T#1: “Cannot decide generally, it depends from a group to another.”
T#4: “I cannot judge the level of the students generally because it varies from a learner
to a learner and from a group to a group.”
T#7: “My students’ speaking skill level varies; some are good, some are excellent but
some need more training.”
Question2: What kind of challenge do your students face in oral presentations?
Based on the teachers' answers, students face common challenges in oral presentations,
which can be categorized into three major categories as follows:
 Psychological Factors:
The interview results show that T#1, T#2, T#3, T#4, T#5, T#7, T#9, T#10 who
generally agree on the psychological factors, including stage fright, stress, shyness, low self-
confidence, and de-motivation being the most common and challenging obstacles students
face in face to face performing as following:
T#1: “Mostly psychological obstacles including stage fright, shyness, stress”
T#2: “The main challenges they face are: the de-motivation; they always feel not to
present and participate as they are simple not interested in performing …”
T#3: “…they lack confidence, and they are embarrassed from speaking in front of an
audience.”
T#4: “The obstacles are mainly the low self-confidence, stage fright, and of course, lack
of practice also is a huge challenge”
T#5: “The main challenge they face is stress which causes them making mistakes while
presenting, forgetting what they have planned to say”
T#7: “The common challenges my students face in oral presentations are: fluency,
accuracy, and stress”
T#9: “Generally my students face problems with shyness and stage fright in presenting
orally”
T#10: “Actually their main problem is they are not able to express themselves correctly;
they have the idea but they are unable to express it because of shyness, fear, and stage fright.”
This kind of challenges prevents students from performing good oral presentations
causing even more obstacles such as T#5 and T#10 mentioned:
T#5 “… which causes them making mistakes while presenting, forgetting what they
have planned to say”
T#10 “Actually their main problem is they are not able to express themselves correctly;
they have the idea but they are unable to express it because of shyness, fear, and stage fright.”
 The speaking skill's components:
T#2, T#3, T#6, T#7, and T#8 stated that the speaking skill components themselves
represent challenges while performing orally, including fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary,
and grammar:
T#2: “… in addition to the lack of vocabulary; they do not find the right words to
express their ideas …”
T#3: “The main obstacles they face are the misuse of the language, they make grammar
and pronunciation mistakes...”
T#6: “The main challenges they face in presenting orally are the lack of lexical
vocabulary”
T#7: “The common challenges my students face in oral presentations are: fluency,
accuracy, and stress”
T#8: “Generally my students face problems with the vocabulary…”
 The limited cultural background:
T#2 and T#8 considered the students’ limited general knowledge as a challenge because
it prevents them from going deep and carry long presentations as the choices concerning the
topic and discussion would be limited, as they explained:
T#2: “… In addition to the lack of vocabulary, they do not find the right words to
express their ideas; also the amount of cultural and historical background they have is so
limited. They cannot get to participate or discuss or even get interested in specific topics like
the international, historical and high serious ones as if they have no idea what is going on
outside Algeria. Although they show more interest in casual topics like relationships, religion
and feminism, so their performance would not be that good and deep but more like short and
seem effortless.”
T#8: “Generally my students face problems with the vocabulary and the limited general
cultural knowledge”
Hence, the psychological factors can be deemed the most common challenges from the
question's answers while performing orally.
Question3: What do you think about integrating ICTs in teaching oral expression?
Please explain
Teachers showed different stands towards the idea of integrating ICTs in teaching oral
expression. The majority, including T#2, T#4, T#5, T#6, T#7, and T#8, fully supported the
concept providing different arguments, which are classified under the three following points:
 Firstly, T#2, T#5, and T#8 see that integrating ICTs in oral expression will enhance
the learners’ attitude during the session, such as making them interested, comfortable,
motivated, and autonomous:
T#2: “I totally agree with the integration of ICTs in teaching oral expression because I
find that these technological tools enhance the level of the language of the learners, they
support the lesson and make all the students interested.”
T#5: “…it makes the learners more comfortable and spontaneous while performing, it
also makes them feel more at ease when performing from their homes because of the familiar
environment. In addition, they would do whatever possible to present something excellent for
they can edit it and correct their mistakes”
T#8: “I support the idea of integrating ICTs oral expression session because it promotes
self-motivation and autonomy, personalizing learning and independency”
 Second, T#4, T#5, and T#6 support the integration of ICTs in oral expression
because it can facilitate the process:
T#4“I totally agree with such integration for ICTs today are essential component in
teaching oral expression because it helps in facilitating the teaching process”
T#5 “I think integrating ICTs in oral expression sessions is a good idea because it
facilitates the teaching process…”
T#6 “I think it is it is important to integrate ICTs in teaching oral expression because it

facilitates the process for the teacher and the learner”
 Third, T#7 shed light on the beneficial provision of ICTs by offering various
choices and chances to teach oral expression more effectively.
T#7 “I agree with integrating ICTs in teaching oral expression and consider that
practical and useful because they provide more resources, different forms of language,
authentic language, and enabling us teachers to explain terms and idioms via visual cues
instead of using the mother tongue”
However, T#3 completely rejected the integration declaring that the concept is not
realizable in real circumstances as it is time-consuming:

T#3: “Personally, I disagree with the use of ICTs in our oral sessions because I believe
ICTs are good as components but one hour and half is not sufficient to have a successful oral
expression session with such technologies because it takes lot of time to install and use the
devices.”
Additionally, the rest of the teachers: T#1, T#9, and T#10; showed an in-between stand,
i.e., they are not entirely relying on ICTs, but they accept their integration just as
complimentary aids to the usual traditional classes, as they stated:
T#1: “I believe it would be better to integrate ICTs as an additional aspect to the usual
oral activities and to use it simply as a complementary item because I believe it is sufficient
for the oral expression classes to be taught in the normal traditional way and ICTs are added
just to change a little bit from time to time.”
T#9: “I am 50% with the idea of integrating ICTs in teaching oral expression and 50%
against the full relying on it because I think traditional way of teaching oral expression is
sometimes more interactive and communicative and ICTs should be only used when it is
needed in specific cases like explaining”
T#10: “I think integrating ICTs in teaching oral expression should be a complimentary

aspect because it has two sides: the good side is that the students are now very familiar with
these devices so it will be easy to use them as it will promote their interest. Yet the other side
is that in oral expression we need to get in touch with the students completely through fully
face to face interaction as it is very hard to not say impossible in our country to have kind of
video conference and virtual classes with the students.”
T#1, T#9 and T#10 believe that the traditional oral expression sessions with no ICTs are
sufficient and sometimes are more communicative and interactive; however, ICTs should be
used as complementary tools in specific cases like explaining, promoting the students’
interest, and to break the routine.
Hence, a significant gap can be highlighted between the teachers’ answers; some
insisted on the beneficial aids ICTs would offer to teach oral expression, others did not
completely deny these advantages, but according to them, it is not realistic or fully needed.
Question4: Before COVID19 confinement, how did the students react to the use of
ICTs in oral sessions?
From the answers, teachers can be divided into two groups. On the one hand, T#1, T#2,
T#4, T#6, T#7, and T#9 used to integrate some ICTs in their oral expression sessions before
COVID19 confinement, and their students have shown positive reaction:
T#2“Before the confinement, I used multiple ICT devices in my sessions like audio
tapes and smart-phones for example and the students have shown a positive response to the
use of technological tools.”
T#4 “My students actually have reacted positively towards the use of such technological
tools.”
T#6 “In my normal classes before the confinement, I used different forms of ICTs in my
oral expression sessions before COVID19 confinement and student reacted positively
towards.”
T#7 “My students always react positively when I integrate ICTs in the usual oral
expression classes”
T#9 “I used to integrate ICTs in my usual oral expression classes and my students
always react positively, they love the idea as they are always excited towards it”
However, based on T#1 answer, students remained with the same usual attitude whether
with or without using any ICT:
T#1 “In my normal face-to-face oral classes, I used different ICTs, such as audio tapes
and videos and it is hard to judge the students’ reaction in a general way because it depends
from one student to another, some were excited as they are always, and some just do not mind
as they are usually are too”
On the other hand, T#3, T#5, T#8, and T#10 have never used any ICT in their sessions
as following:
T#3 “Unfortunately I have never used any ICT tool.”

T#5 “Honestly I did not use ICTs before.”
T#8 “No, actually I did not use any form of ICTs before COVID19 confinement”
T#10 “No I have never used any ICT in my oral expression session before COVID19
period”
A contradiction can be noticed between T #5, T #8 answers, and their answers in
question3:
T#5 “I think integrating ICTs in oral expression sessions is a good idea because it
facilitates the teaching process and it makes the learners more comfortable and spontaneous
while performing, it also makes them feel more at ease when performing from their homes
because of the familiar environment. In addition, they would do whatever possible to present
something excellent for they can edit it and correct their mistakes”
T#8 “I support the idea of integrating ICTs oral expression session because it promotes
self-motivation and autonomy, personalizing learning and independency”
Although they both supported and defended the idea of integrating ICTs in teaching
oral expression considering these technologies’ aids, they have never used any form of them
in their classes.
Question5: Please explain how the experience of learning oral expression through
ICTs during the COVID19 confinement has influenced the students’ speaking skill?
From the teacher’s answers, two main categories can be determined. Those who see that
the experience of learning oral expression through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement
has influenced students’ speaking skill positively including, T#2, T#3, T#4, T#5, T#7, and
T#8stating that it helped them to overcome their psychological obstacles when presenting
orally such as stage fright. They also believe that this experience was a chance to notice a new
creative side of the students:

T# 2: “I believe that learning oral expression through ICTs influenced students’

speaking skill positively, simply because it helped them to overcome their psychological
obstacles like stage fright.”
T# 3: “Students were more at ease and relaxed which enhanced their level of speaking
skill in terms of confidence. However, for some others, this experience did not have any
impact on their speaking skill for they did not take parts in it.”
T# 4: “I think this experience influenced learners speaking skill positively because they
had the chance to practice the language in a calming and familiar environment away from the
barriers they usually face in the classroom like stage fright.”
T# 5: “I believe the learning experience of oral expression during the confinement had a
positive impact on students’ speaking skill. For they were more at ease and ready to speak,
prepare and perform well with the use of ICTs, for that they are in their comfortable
environment, which motivate them to speak well.”
T# 7: “I believe learning oral expression through ICTs during the confinement period
was beneficial for my students, since I observed a development in their level of speaking skill,
where they became more spontaneous and comfortable.”
T# 8: “It seems to me that this experience has influenced the students’ speaking skill
positively because it assisted them to get over their usual difficulties in oral presentations, and
they showed a new creative side of them in terms of choosing the topics and filming their
videos.”
While other teachers such as T#1, T#6, T#9, and T#10, think that this experience has
double-faced impact on the students’ speaking skills. Concerning the positive influence, they
shared the same ideas the previous teachers mentioned above, whereas for the negative
impact, they stated some students were de-motivated and did not participate. Thus, not all the
students benefited from this experience to work on their speaking skill. The teachers answered
as following:
T# 1: “I think that the experience has influenced both positively and negatively.
Positively for students who had the chance to talk and share with us their different topics and
experiences, and negatively for those who decided to ignore the class and not join it because
they did not show any progress.”
T# 6: “I think that this experience influenced the students' speaking skill in two ways, in
a good way where they participated and tried to work on their speaking skill. And in a
negative way because they did not take this experience on a serious level.”
T# 9: “Concerning the impact of this experience on students’ speaking skill, I would say
that it had two opposite impacts on it. First, they became more comfortable and confident
about sharing their thought aloud, which is a positive thing. Second, some students neglected
the oral expression sessions and did not participate, which seemed to me as a negative attitude
toward online classes.”
T# 10: “I think that the new way of learning oral expression during the confinement via
ICT would have a positive impact on students’ speaking skill but unfortunately, it did not.
Because their reaction at first seemed so negative and the majority was not motivated to
participate as they did in normal classes.”
As a result, we may get that the majority of teacher believe the experience of learning
oral expression through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement was beneficial for the
students in terms of making them more relaxed and comfortable. However, there was this
negative attitude and de-motivation some students have shown towards this learning
experience, which may be explained by the lack of participation teachers mentioned.
Question6: How successful was the experience of teaching oral expression through
ICTs during the COVID19 confinement? Please explain.
Two major views can be noticed concerning the success of teaching oral expression
through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement. First, the great majority of the teachers
including T#1, T#3, T#4, T#5, T#6, T#7, T#8, T#9, and T#10 consider the experience
successful only to a certain extent for many reasons. First, not all the students have benefited
as T#1 and T#8 stated:

T#1: “Well the experience was not a total success or a total failure, mainly because
some students used to participate and got over their fears of public talking and stage fright
while others remained with the same attitudes and challenges so the new online process did
not help or change anything for them.”
T#8:“I think the experience of online oral expression teaching during the COVID19
was successful to a certain extent. Because it depends on the learner’s attitude and perception
of e-learning, there are students who were motivated and liked the new process so it boosted
their capacities and efforts and self-motivation but others still adhere to traditional learning
more and found it a big obstacle.”
Second, because T#3, T#4, T#5, T#6, T#7, and T#9 consider it not enough for the oral
expression module, in terms of managing the session and participation, difficulty of
evaluating, and the different obstacles faced:
T#3: “I can say that teaching oral expression online was successful to a certain extent,
because there was no direct contact with my students which hardened the evaluation.”
T#4: “I think that teaching oral expression online was successful to a certain extent
because it was not enough to just ask learners to send recorded videos or audios to teach and
learn and even evaluate speaking performances as long as many other aspects should be taken
into consideration like the body language. Besides the lack of communication and practice we
usually had in normal classes.”
T#5:“I think that teaching oral expression online during the pandemic was successful to
a certain extent for it was good concerning getting over some challenges like the stress but not
enough concerning the evaluation”
T#6:“I would say just to a certain extent; it was successful for listening activities
because it saves time but not the speaking because we cannot make them participate.”
T#7:“Based on my experience, I believe teaching oral expression online was successful

to a certain extent for it was good in term of students getting over some challenges but not for
managing the session and evaluating”
T#9: “It was good concerning the conditions since it enabled us to carry on teaching
during the confinement, but still have many obstacles like being less controlled by the teacher.
The main obstacle in teaching oral expression online is the internet connection and the
students being less interactive, also there was a great barrier preventing teachers to keep an
eye on their students and watch their psychological features like shyness and stress.”
Third, T#10 affirms that the platforms used are the reason behind the experience not
being fully successful:
T#10: “I think teaching oral expression online during COVID19 confinement was
successful to a very low extent. I cannot say it was a success because some platforms like
SANAKO were good and easy to work with like sending and receiving records but the current
e-learning platforms like are not really workable.”
Moreover, only one teacher T#2 believed that the experience was fully successful for
the progress shown in students’ creativity as it helped them in getting over their
performance’s challenges
T#2: “Based on my experience, yes, I think teaching oral expression online was
successful because it boosted the learners’ creativity for they were more at ease and
comfortable to let go their face to face fears and challenges”
Question7:What were the main obstacles faced in teaching oral expression during
the confinement?
According to the teachers’ responses, about the process of online teaching, four main
obstacles were shared as following:
 Poor internet quality:
All teachers, except T#2 answered, answered as following:
T#1: “.... In addition to the unstable internet connection, which for most of the times did
not allow us to have successful online presentations.”
T# 3: Personally, I faced two main obstacles, first the bad internet connection that
unfortunately did not let me do my role completely that is why I asked the delegate to replace
me for a period…”
T# 4: Poor internet connection…. were the main obstacles I faced when teaching oral
expression online.”
T#5: “The main obstacles are, the bad internet quality, students could not access to the
platform lunched by the department “SANAKO” that is why I had to use other easy means to
contact the students like Messenger.”
T#6: “The obstacles I as a teacher faced in teaching oral expression during the
pandemic were: the Internet connection…”
T# 7: “One of main obstacles faced in teaching oral expression online were poor
connection…”
T#8: “As a teacher, the main obstacle I faced during teaching oral expression online
was the unstable internet connection…”
T# 9: “The main obstacle in teaching oral expression online is the internet

connection…”
T#10: “…In addition to the poor internet connection…”
The internet quality was the common obstacle that did not allow both students and
teachers to have a successful oral expression session. Besides the hard managing of the
platforms like T#5 mentioned; however, T#10 mentioned in question11 that SANAKO was
easy to use and communicate with, which shows a contradiction between two teachers who
both used the platform yet had different experiences.
 Participation and discipline:
The other obstacle T#1, T#3, T#4, T#6, T#7, T#8, and T#9 have faced was the
participation of the students and their irresponsibility and negative attitude towards oral
expression online sessions. As they declared:

T#1: “The main obstacle for me was the participation of the students; it was around
20% of the whole class that have participated only. In online classes, you do not have much
power over the students to push them to participate…”
T#3: “Second, is how much students are ready to use ICTs in a very formal way to
learn, students’ irresponsibility when dealing with their tasks and assignments.”
T#4: “…participation and students’ irresponsibility were the main obstacles I faced
when teaching oral expression online.”
T#6: “The obstacles I as a teacher faced in teaching oral expression during the
pandemic the excuses students make to not submit the work or attend.”
T#7: “One of the main obstacles faced in teaching oral expression online were… and
students’ irresponsibility towards tasks and assignments and they were less comfortable.”
T#8: “As a teacher, the main obstacle I faced during teaching oral expression online
was …, the students’ discipline and as teachers…”
T#9: “…the students being less interactive, also there was a great barrier preventing
teachers to keep an eye on their students and watch their psychological features like shyness
and stress.”
These teachers claimed that students’ participation and seriousness were so low
comparing to normal studying, and how the majority of them do not give as much concern to
oral online classes as they used to do with normal classes.
 Low technological literacy:
Another challenge couple of teachers (T#8 and T#10) met was the lack of training on
using ICTs, as they answered:
T#8: “...and as teachers, we were not well trained on using ICTs.”
T#10: “the major obstacle I faced is that at the beginning, I was not familiar with ICTs
and I did not how to manage well these technological tools.”
Both T#8 and T#10 have a limited technological literacy, which prevented them from
manipulating the devices at an advanced level.
 Lack of technological devices:
T#10 mentioned another complication faced when teaching online, which is the lack of
devices. That is to say, not all students can possess technological devices such as computer or
smart-phones, which hardened the online studying process to the teachers and students:
T#10: “...and some students would simply tell me they have no smart-phones or any
other thing to use.”
Hence, it can be noticed that the poor internet connection is deemed to be the major
obstacle the majority of the teachers have faced. However, T#2 has faced no obstacle at all.
Another serious contradiction can be highlighted from both answers of T#1 in this
question and in question 9, in which she/he declared that the learners became responsible for
their learning, so how come a responsible student not attend his classes neither participate?
Mentioning that she/he related this behavior to the less controlling role teachers have on the
students. In the same vein, T#4 clarified that students became less disciplined because
teachers were not able to impose themselves when teaching with ICTs, which simplifies that
students have always been in need for the teachers presence to show efforts. As a result,
students are not autonomous in their nature and once the teacher’s presence is less controlling,
they no longer feel obliged to work or respect their responsibilities
Question8: How have the roles of the teacher and the learner changed during the
confinement, with learning through ICTs? Please explain.

Based on teachers’ answers, a great majority of them assert the change of both teachers
and learners’ roles, as it can be classified under two major categories, the teacher’s role and
the learner’s role, as follows:
 Role of the learner:
Depending on the teachers' explanations, the change in the learner role can be presented
through two major categories: positive and negative.
 Positive change:
T#1, T#2, T#6, T#7, T#8 and T#10 declared that learners became more autonomous and
independent, more responsible for their learning, and showed progress in creativity and
productivity.
T#1 “… the learners are more free and responsible on their learning and the teacher less
controlling”
T#2 “… the learners whom they became more independent, autonomous and creative”
T#6 “Yes both roles have changed with the online learning: learners became
autonomous and teachers less controlling, less power to manage or control the learners’
attitudes”
T#7 “… the learner became more autonomous”
T#8 “…learners became productive”
T#10 “… learners became more independent and autonomous making more efforts to
understand, to do their own research and to learn”
 Negative change:
T#3, T#4, T#5 and T#9 perceived negative change in the learner’ role in terms of
irresponsibility attitude toward the process, and being less discipline, as following:
T#3: “… learners unfortunately became more neglecting, irresponsible and not

professional including the way they send informal emails, not respecting the deadlines and the
instructions, and cheating as they became more passive…”
T#4: “…learners become more irresponsible because they do not respect the deadlines
of the assignments as they feel free from the control that the teachers used to have on them…”
T#5: “… as learners became less disciplined and did not care that much about
participation because they felt free from the teacher’s control…”
T#9 “… students showed less discipline than the face to face learning especially
concerning the participation”
As it is noticed, there is an extreme contradiction between the teachers’ perceptions
concerning the change of the learners' role with learning oral expression through ICTs during
the COVID19 confinement, but the majority agreed on the positive shift.
 Role of the teacher
T#1, T#4, T#6, and T#9 consider the significant change in the teachers’ role during
that period as the teachers lost their controlling role among the learners, i.e., they were no
longer able to be in complete charge of the session as they used to be before, as follows:
T#1: “…and the teacher less controlling”

T#4: “…For the teachers, it became harder for them, and to control them as making
them participate or show any sign of interest.”
T#6: “…and teachers became less controlling having less power to manage or control
the learners’ attitudes”
T#9: “of course the teacher and learner roles have changes with online learning during
the pandemic; for it was harder for the teacher to control the distanced online session like to
make the students respect the instructions, the deadlines, and the participations…”
Moreover, T#5, T#8, and T#10 pointed out that during the confinement, teachers have
been making more efforts compared to the usual conditions in terms of lesson preparation,
checking and evaluation, and contacting the students, as following:
T#5: “Teachers had additional obligations to fulfill, it became harder for them because
they had to prepare more, to make the students answer in time, and to organize themselves in
order to provide a good content for learners.”
T#8: “…As for teacher it was harder to check and manage the online tasks like
evaluating them virtually.”
T#10: “…Also the teachers, I personally had to make more efforts to learn about these
technologies but it was frustrating not being able to contact the students easily.”
Furthermore, T#3 deeper explained that the role became less effective concerning
teaching oral expression, stating:
T#3: “…as the teacher is no longer in his usual role because it was easier to keep an eye
on all the students because oral expression is different from the other modules, the teacher
should be more close and in touch with the students because there are different aspects like
the body language and the facial gestures to be taken into consideration and this is what builds
the appropriate oral exp teacher, but when we dealt with distance I think my role became no
longer effective.”
While T#2 insisted that the teacher’s role has shifted to be a guide, stating:
T#2: “the roles of both the teacher and learner have changed; teachers with the presence
of ICT are just here to guide the learners…”
Unlike T#7 who perceived a slight change in the teachers’ role:
T#7: “The role of the teacher and learner has not really changed, maybe to a certain
extent”
Hence, based on the answers, it can be deemed that learning through ICTs during the
COVID19 confinement generated different and noticeable changes concerning the teachers
and learners role as it did not satisfy the majority of the teachers.
Question9: Through which ICT means, and how did you assess your students’
performance through ICTs in oral sessions?
According to the teachers’ answers, we can extract three main methods used by the oral
expression teachers to assess their students online:
 Video/Audio recordings:
This method was used by the majority of the teachers T#1, T#2, T#3, T#4, T#5, T#7,
and T#10, where they answered as following:
T# 1: “I assessed my students through their language use, confidence, performance, the

body language they showed, and the use of grammar. As for evaluation, I used the recorded
video way.”
T# 2: “I assessed my students via recorded videos, where they filmed short movies from
their own creation.”
T# 3: “I used video recordings as a way of assessment.”
T# 4: “I used video recordings by Messenger as a way of assessment.”
T# 5: “I used Messenger to ask my students to send recorded videos as a form of

assessment.”
T# 7: “I used video recordings and questionnaires about the communication skills to

assess my students during the confinement.”
T# 10: “I used to assess my students through sending them some exercises and then the
quiz they were asked to send audio recordings via email.”
The previous teachers preferred this way of assessing their students because of the
facility when contacting them and evaluating their works, as it was mainly done through
Messenger or email.
 Online conversations:
Only couple of teachers T#6 and t#9 chose to have online meetings. As they stated:
T# 6: “I used to make video conversation and online listening tasks to asses my students
during the COVID19 confinement. For example, I used to send them recorded audios about a
specific topic and then have an exercise about the content of that recording.”
T# 9: “I used to rely on sending online presentations in form of videos and to prepare

meetings for activities in ZOOM to assess my students in oral expression session during the
pandemic.”
 Written homework:
Two teachers T#7 and T#8 used a different method of assessing oral expression
students; they simply sent written tasks through Messenger and emails assignments:
T#7: “…and questionnaires about the communication skills to assess my students

during the confinement.”
T#8: “I used to assess my students in oral expressions during the COVID19 through
written home works sent via email.”
Moreover, relating the answers provided in this question and in question12 by T#8:
T#8: “…and as teachers, we were not well trained on using ICT.”
It shows how serious the low technological literacy affects the online teaching process.
That is students were assessed through written tasks when they are supposed and should be
assessed based on their oral performance and speaking skill, i.e. the teachers’ limited
familiarity with the technological tools caused a huge deviation in the process of teaching oral
expression.
Question10: What do you think about students’ online performance?
Based on the answers, more than half of the teachers including T#3, T#4, T#6, T#7, T#9
and T#10 liked more the face-to-face performance, because it allows them to analyze the
student’s performance on many levels, such as the body language and the psychological state.
They stated:
T# 3: “I liked more the face-to-face performance because as an oral expression teacher I

can see more on the student face than what they might say. That is why we can evaluate by
the student’s body language if s/he is prepared, afraid, stressed, comfortable or even ready to
speak in front of public.”
T# 4: “I liked more their face-to-face performance because it felt more real and I was
able to evaluate more than just speech.”
T# 6: “My students’ face-to-face performance is better than their online presentations

since I can feel real communication with them.”
T# 7: “The majority of my students’ face-to-face presentations were better than their

online performance.”
T# 9: “Face-to-face performance is better than their online presentations because in

classrooms we enjoyed the interaction and small discussions.”
T# 10: “Both performances were good but face-to-face presentations were more
interactive through asking questions and discussing. Yet with sending online recordings,
students get less shy and they feel more comfortable.”
Whereas T#2 and T#5 preferred the online performance because they both liked how
the students were much comfortable and spontaneous when speaking:
T# 2: “I preferred the online performance more than face-to-face performance because I

enjoyed their creativity and spontaneous perform in front of the camera.”
T# 5: “I liked the online performance more because I was able to see a new side of my
students, where they were not stressed or shy from speaking and sharing their ideas.”
Expect for T#1 who liked both performances:
T# 1: I believe that for some students I loved more their online performance because
they were more comfortable and free whereas for other students I enjoyed their face-to-face
performances more.
Mentioning that T#8 did not answer this question because there was no online
presentation.
Based on the answers, it can be noticed that many teachers stated that ICTs made the
students at ease and comfortable during this new shape of oral expression sessions, since they
are at home and under no stress. However, the majority of teachers preferred the face to face
performances because it was easy and more effective to evaluate the oral performances.
Question11: How can teachers better the use of ICTs in teaching oral expression?
From the teachers’ answers, different ideas are stated and divided into three main sorts:
 Training:
the majority of teachers including T#2, T#5, T#8, T#9, and T#10 agreed on the idea of
training on using ICTs inside and outside the classroom, for the limited familiarity they have
with these technologies. As they stated:
T# 2: “I think that for teachers to use ICTs to teach speaking skills in a better way is to
be more trained on these technological devices, and to be more familiar with them.”
T# 5: “It is important for the teachers to be well trained on using ICTs…”
T# 8: “I think teachers should be trained more to use ICTs in oral expression sessions.”
T# 9: “I think teachers should get more training to use ICTs so that they can enhance
their use in oral expressions sessions.”
T# 10: “I think teachers should gain good training on using ICTs before integrating it in
oral expression session in order to be able to manipulate all these devices especially in
Algeria…”
 Good planning and correct use of ICTs:
Another idea was proposed by T#3, T#4, and T#6 concerning the appropriate use and
good planning of ICTs inside the classrooms:
T# 3: “If the teachers would use different ICTs in a creative way to present their
lessons, and with multiple goals; that is to say to teach two separate things like grammar and
pronunciation in one lesson through a short movie or videos, I am sure positive results will
occur.”
T# 4: “From my point of view, I think that teachers may use ICTs in a better way in
teaching oral expression by diversifying its use inside and outside the classroom, for opening
the doors for learners’ creativity.”
 Designing the appropriate platforms:
The third idea was suggested by T#1 and T#7, about creating online platforms specific
for oral expression sessions:
T# 1: “Teachers may better use ICTs in oral expressions by creating specific, well
designed and easy to access online platforms, where each class would have its virtual class
and timing. Instagram and Facebook live feature is not that serious and the students may feel a
little bit unsecure for that any one may join the live of even the Facebook groups.”
T# 7: “ For teacher to better the use of ICTs in oral expression sessions it would be
better to use means that provide authentic use of language and to give more importance of the
pragmatic use of language.”
According to these answers, and the previous ones in question6, we can notice that
almost half of the teachers did not use ICTs because they lacked good training. This point
raises a serious concern about teachers getting more training on using different ICTs.
Question12: How can students positively use ICTs to enhance their speaking skill?
The answers presented by teachers provide various ideas concerning how learners can
develop their speaking skills using ICTs, which may be divided into four main categories:
 Communication:
T#1, T#7, T#8, and T#9 presented the idea of the authentic use of English language
through online communication, with either native speakers or any English speaker:
T# 1: “As for the learners, they may benefit from all the sources and applications
provided by ICTs to communicate more and talk more in English especially with each other,
for that they feel awkward or embarrassed to talk with their teachers. Therefore,
communication is key, and the good use of the different sources and applications.”
T# 7:” ...to have direct communication with using English language.”
T# 8: “Students should use ICTs like social media to practice more the language and
communicate with native speakers.”
 Professional and academic use:
T#2, T#3, T#5, and T#10 proposed the professional and academic use of ICTs as a way
for learners to enhance their level of speaking skill:
T# 2: “If learners will use different available ICTs in a more professional manner and
for learning purposes, they for sure will enhance their language and their speaking skill.”
T# 3: “Learners would get positive results from ICTs if they use them in a more formal,
academic, and professional way, and to benefit from the blessing we did not have back then.”
T# 5: “...and to know how to use them correctly and in a beneficial way, where it will
develop our language.”
T# 10: “I think the best thing to do is gaining autonomy and being able to work on their
own and to learn how to be more independent.”
 Continuous practice:
T#5, T#7, T#8, and T#9 believed that the good practice of language through ICTs is the
key to enhance speaking skills, by accessing to different platforms and websites that provide
easy and correct content with the ability to practice the language in multiple forms of
exercises:
T# 5: “Students need to use ICTs to practice for multiple times the oral language...”
T# 7: “For learners to enhance their speaking skill they should practice more the
language by listening to native speakers from movies, songs or even to have direct
communication with using English language.”
T# 8: “Students should use ICTs like social media to practice more the language...”
 Working on the four language skills:

T#9 insisted on working not only on the speaking skill itself, but also on the other three
language skills (writing, reading, and listening) because they are interrelated and should have
a parallel developing process:
T# 9: “Students should practice more the language through ICTs, communicate, watch
videos even listening to song and focus on the four skills not only speaking because they all
interrelated and it is not appropriate to neglect the other three skills otherwise they cannot
achieve fluency.”
Thus, for learners to enhance their speaking skill with the help if ICTs, they should
focus on practicing the language, communicating authentically, correctly using these
technologies, and also giving attention to all the four skills.
3.3 Summary of Teachers’ Interview Results:
Multiple results have been collected from teachers’ interview. The majority of the
teachers believe their students’ speaking skill level varies between average to more than
average, and the main challenges in oral presentations are psychological ones such as stage
fright and shyness. Additionally, the great majority of the teachers support the integration of
ICTs in teaching oral expression for the beneficial aids, where some of them have used some
ICTs in their oral sessions before the confinement. Moreover, Messengers, Facebook, and
Email were the most used platforms for teaching and assessing oral expression during the
COVID19 confinement, where the majority chose video/audio recordings as a means of
evaluation.
In addition, with teaching oral expression via ICTs, most teachers have noted that their
role shifted to less controlling, as they had to make extra efforts to contact the students and
organize the sessions. Nevertheless, there were two contradictory opinions concerning the
learners’ role during that period; for some, students became more autonomous, serious, and
independent; while others became less responsible and disciplined.
Consequently, teachers believe that this experience of teaching oral expression through
ICTs during the COVID19 confinement was successful to a certain extent because it had two
significant impacts on the development of the students’ speaking skill. First, a positive
influence regarding overcoming the psychological fears and difficulties in a way students
became more comfortable and at ease when presenting online, in addition to good progress
noticed in their creativity. Second, a negative influence concerning the students’ de-
motivation and lack of participation.
Additionally, most of the teachers preferred face-to-face performances more than the
online ones, for it was hard to evaluate because many aspects should be considered, like body
language. In this vein, it can be concluded that teachers need a face-to-face way of contact
with the students in order to evaluate and provide effective feedback, and the platforms used
did not allow such vivid meetings.
Furthermore, teachers have suggested several solutions in order to enhance this teaching
experience more. The majority proposed getting more training on different ICT tools, whereas
other teachers insisted on the correct and well-planned use of such technologies in addition to
creating specific platforms for oral expression sessions. While for better use of ICTs in
learning the speaking skill, teachers believe that students should practice well on the language
through online communication, besides the professional and academic use of ICTs.
Finally, the multiple obstacles have been faced, which are: technical problems like the
internet quality and lack of accessibility, the low rate of the students’ participation and their
discipline, the teachers’ low technological literacy, and the nature of the platforms used.
4. General findings
The synthesis of the results gathered from teachers’ interview and students’
questionnaire revealed many findings. Firstly, learning through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement influenced the students’ speaking skill positively to a certain extent because it
helped the students to get over the face-to-face presentations’ challenges like stage fright and
stress in addition to enhance their creativity; however, unfortunately not all the students have
benefited where some were de-motivated. In this regard, the first hypothesis that declared the
experience of oral expression via ICTs during the confinement had a negative impact on the
students’ speaking skill is rejected.
Second, teachers’ interview and the students’ questionnaire showed some common
obstacles faced in online oral expression sessions through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement, which are: the technical problems, mainly the poor internet connection and the
lack of accessibility, the low technological literacy, the lack of devices, and the nature of the
platforms used. Furthermore, the students’ questionnaire revealed other obstacles, including
the sessions’ timing and duration, the unfamiliarity with the process of learning through ICTs,
the passivity of the process mainly the lack of feedback. Further, teachers’ interview added
the low rate of the students’ participation and their discipline as another obstacle.
It is necessary to mention that the obstacle concerning the nature of the used platforms
fills the two gaps highlighted through teachers and students’ answers. First, students were
autonomous in the sense of learning by their own but they were irresponsible and not
committed to the online sessions because they were de-motivated for the non-interactive
environment of the sessions. Second, the teachers were not providing feedback, not because
they were passive as the questionnaire revealed, since the interview underlined their efforts
during the period, but rather because the tools used to assess and teach oral expression were
not effectual to evaluate oral performances.
At this point, the second hypothesis drawn concerning the main obstacles faced in
learning oral expression through ICTs during the COVID19 confinement is confirmed, i.e.,
technical problems, mainly the unstable internet connection was one of the obstacles.
However, the study revealed additional obstacles, which are: the low technological literacy,
the lack of devices, timing and duration of the sessions, unfamiliarity with the process of
learning through ICT, the passivity of the process, the low rate of the students’ participation
and their discipline, and the nature of the used platforms.
5. Pedagogical Implication
The process of integrating ICTs in teaching/learning EFL, with a guaranteed success,
cannot be achieved with simple use of these technologies in the classroom; however, it should
be seen as a three main levels plan. The initial stage starts from higher authorities, a
collaborative work should happen between Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research and Algerie Telecome “The state owned telecom operator in Algeria, it is
responsible of fix and mobile telephony, Internet and satellite communications” in order to
enhance the quality of the internet connection. Since, the major obstacle faced by both
teachers and students was the internet quality. The other major point in this level is the ICTs
training courses for teachers, lunched by The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research, this significant suggestion should be taken into consideration for that any online
platform requires a particular knowledge from teachers in order to perfectly use any ICT tool
and device. Several websites offer either face-to-face training courses or online courses,
which the Algerian education system may take as an example such as, Erasmus Training
Courses, Teacher Academy, and School Online.

The second level is concerned with the university administration generally and the
department specifically, i.e. at this point responsible in charge of such matters such as the
head of the department, the dean, and the rector are the ones responsible for enhancing the
level of the technological literacy. At this level, the department needs to focus on
implementing different ICT tools and devices in oral expression classes in addition to the
already used ones such as, online platforms, video/audio chats, voice recordings… using
different tools like Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, Moodle, and easy phone applications
such WhatsApp. Moreover, as some teachers proposed in the interview, specific courses
concerning the use of ICTs and their integration in oral sessions should be set and directed to
students from the first year at the university, in order to make the students familiar with what
ICT really is and it can be positively and effectively used in learning.
The third and last stage is related to teachers and learners on a personal level that is to
say to benefit from what these technologies offer to enhance the speaking skill. Firstly,
teachers may create specific class platforms, where only the students and the teacher of that
class are allowed to access to it. The creation of online websites is available online with easy
steps and multi features such as WordPress, which is presented in figure 19 in Appendix C,
this process may go one-step further by crating classroom blogs, where the teacher and
students will share their minds about different topics by taking turns in recording either vocals
or videos. In addition to blogs and websites, social media may be used also as a teaching tool.
A selected video from YouTube may be the topic for next session discussions, where students
would watch the video and prepare a presentation to express their thoughts.
Secondly, learners are the major beneficiaries of ICTs, since they are the generation that
has grown up in an environment where technology surrounds it from all corners. Different
ICT tools are available for facilitating learning speaking skill, like social media, specifically
YouTube, where numerous channels offer simple and easy lessons and tasks to enhance oral
performance, such as: Learn English with EnglishClass101, and Speak English With
Vanessa.(illustrated in Appendix C).
Additionally there other channels that offer the International English Language Testing
System specifically for speaking skill, where a learner would listen to the question and answer
by himself pretending to be the candidate and answer the question asked in the video, like:
Ross IELTS Academy, and IELTS Advantage, which are represented in figure 22 and 23 in
Appendix C.
Moreover, several phone applications for teaching speaking skill are freely available;
students may download and enjoy a fun and interesting learning experience. Some of these
applications are:
• FluentU: an application that makes you learn speaking English from any video you
like in an authentic and funny way. (Figure24).
• Crossword games: smart-phone games that make the learning more fun and amusing
by getting more vocabulary. (Figure 25)
Finally, in addition to what has been suggested, in order to enhance the use of ICTs in
teaching/learning speaking skill, a crucial point needs to be highlighted: authentic and direct
communication between the teacher and his/her students should occur. For instance, sharing
and clarifying the obstacles they both face within the process, to minimize as much obstacles
as possible, since they are partners in the same process. The preparation to attain this goal
should be planned from the first session, as the oral expression teacher gains the learners’
trust and makes them feel comfortable to speak and exchange their ideas.
6. Limitation of the study
Certain obstacles in this current work should be noted and taken into consideration.
Concerning data collection, it took long time to gather the needed number of participants for
the learners’ questionnaire. Similarly, for the teachers’ interview, contacting the teachers was
a hard work; even convincing them to be our interviewees took a lot of time and energy, as we
unfortunately did not find the expected collaboration. Moreover, as the topic of the ICTs and
education has been always interesting for researchers, we had to make more efforts to avoid
typicality and to treat concepts from different perspectives, which took longer time.
Furthermore, regarding the limitations of this study, other research methods could be
used in this wok like class-observation or virtual class experiment, but unfortunately we were
not able to realize the ideas for the current COVID19 circumstances. Furthermore, the number
of population in learners’ questionnaire could be larger like dealing with both Master one and
Master two, in order to generalize the results. In addition, teachers’ interview also could cover
larger population of oral expression teachers in order to investigate the problem deeper.
Conclusion
Two research tools were used to investigate the research questions, a students’
questionnaire that was designed to Master Two Language Sciences students, and an oral
expression teachers’ interview at the English department of Badji Mokhtar University of
Annaba. The collected results rejected the first hypothesis; for it has revealed that the
experience of learning oral expression via ICTs during the COVID19 confinement has
influenced the students’ speaking skill positively to a certain extent. However, the second
hypothesis was confirmed, which states that the main obstacles faced during this experience
are technical ones including the unstable internet connection and lack of accessibility, in
addition to other revealed obstacles such as lack of technological literacy, timing/duration of

the session, passivity of the process, lack of devices, the struggle with evaluating, and the low
rate of participation. Moreover, it was concluded that the main reason behind this experience
not being fully beneficial was the nature of the platform used.
GENERAL
CONCLUSION
ICTs have become one of the basics of modern societies in different fields including
education. In teaching and learning foreign languages such as English, ICTs brought various
opportunities, challenges, and new techniques for both teachers and learners. Furthermore, the
speaking skill was affected by these new technologies, for the suitable available aids,
especially during the COVID19 confinement, when teaching and learning occurred through
ICTs.
There are several shapes of ICTs in learning, such as online, blended, and distance
learning. In the same context of education with ICTs, multiple tools and devices are used in
teaching and learning. Further, ICTs also got an important place in FLL classes, which made a
huge shift from the traditional shape of the process brining new provisions and concepts.
However, some challenges can be faced with this integration such as the lack of accessibility
and low technological literacy. In the same line, EFL field also adopted the concept of
integrating ICTs through different ways of application, mainly during the COVID19 period
for it was the suitable way of learning and the safest to cope with the conditions.
Moreover, acknowledging that speaking skill plays a vital role in FLL and EFL,
teaching the skill should be based on a well-organized classroom. Furthermore, using ICTs in
teaching/learning speaking skill can generate a noticeable change in the roles; as teachers are
more likely to become monitors while learners tend to be more autonomous. Finally, ICTs
have two different impacts on speaking skill, a positive impact like improving the
pronunciation, and a negative influence like the unintentional adoption of informal
expression.
This research investigates whether learning and teaching oral expression with ICTs
during the COVID19 confinement has enhanced students’ speaking skill. Besides, it attempts
to highlight the challenges and obstacles teachers and learners faced during the same period.
In order to test the two hypotheses, two research tools were used, an interview directed to oral
expression teachers and a questionnaire administered to Master two Language Sciences
students in the English department at Badji Mokhtar University in Annaba. First, the study
had shown that the experience of learning oral expression through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement has influenced students’ speaking skill positively yet to a certain extent;
therefore, the first hypothesis was rejected. Second, during this experience, many obstacles
have been faced including technical ones, mainly the unstable internet quality and lack of
accessibility, which confirms the second hypothesis. In addition to extra revealed obstacles
including the low technological literacy, the lack of devices, timing and duration of the
sessions, unfamiliarity with the process of learning through ICT, the passivity of the process,
and the nature of the used platforms.
Accordingly, this research dissertation has led to conclude that, in order to achieve a
successful online oral expression learning/teaching process, many obstacles should be taken
into consideration, like the lack of training for teachers as well as the need of creating specific
platforms for oral expression to ensure the effectiveness of using ICTs to enhance speaking
skill.
Further research in relation to this topic can be conducted with other research tools,
such as observation. For instance, to perceive the process of teaching and learning speaking
skill through ICTs, observation can be applied on a group or students who will be kindly
asked to perform oral presentations and activities face to face in classroom, then online
through ICTs. Then, a deep comparison between the two environments, the students’
performance, the participation rate, the role of the teacher will highlight many results
concerning the impact of ICTs on the speaking skill. Moreover, in order to testify the
appropriateness of the platforms used in oral expression through ICTs, also it can be studies
with a group of students using two different platforms then compare between the two sessions
to conclude the role and the influence of the nature of the platform used of students’
performance. In addition, an experiment can be used to investigate the role of ICTs in
enhancing the speaking skill, through which students will be tested first on their speaking skill
competence, and then they will be studying oral expression online only through ICTs for a
specific period of time. Then, at the end of the experiment, evaluators will evaluate the
students’ speaking skill competence again to verify the potential progress. Finally, it is highly
recommended to broaden and vary the research tools to deal with similar topics, and to apply
them on large population to collect as much reliable, beneficial, and relevant information as
possible.
References
 Abawi, K. (2017). Data collection methods (questionnaire and interview) - Karim

Abawi. Retrieved April 30, 2021, from https://www.gfmer.ch/SRH-Course-2017/Geneva-
Workshop/Data-collection-methods-Abawi-2017.htm
 Adulkareem, M., & Chouthaiwale, S. S. (2018). THE USE OF ICT TOOLS IN
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: A LITERATURE REVIEW.
Veda’s Journal of English Language and Literature-JOELL, 5(2), 29–33. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330986788_The_Use_of_ICT_Tools_in_English_L
anguage_Teaching_and_Learning_A_Literature_Review
 Admin, B. (2017). Why is Grammar Important in Communication? - Bodhih
Training. Retrieved from https://bodhih.com/training-and-development/grammar-important-
communication/
 Alsied, S. M., & Pathan, M. M. (2013). The Use of Computer Technology in EFL
Classroom: Advantages and Implications. International Journal of English Language &
Translation Studies, 44–51. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mustafa-
Pathan/publication/301612905_The_use_of_computer_technology_in_EFL_classroom_Adva
ntages_and_implications/links/571d0a1e08aee3ddc56ac52b/The-use-of-computer-
technology-in-EFL-classroom-Advantages-and-implications.pdf
 Alimuddin& Muhsin. (n.d.). aspect of speaking skill.pdf. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/32526755/aspect_of_speaking_skill_pdf
 Algeria: distance learning for students | ETF. (2020, May 25). Retrieved January
2021, from https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/news-and-events/news/algeria-distance-learning-
students
 Algeria Press Service. (2020, March 12). Coronavirus: President Tebboune
orders all schools, universities closed. Retrieved January 25, 2021, from
https://www.aps.dz/en/algeria/33572-coronavirus-president-tebboune-orders-all-schools-
universities-closed
 Alkahtani, A. (2017). The challenges facing the integration of ICT in teaching in

Saudi secondary schools. International Journal of Education and Development Using
Information and Communication Technology, 13(1), 32–51. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1142266.pdf
 Alqahtani, M. (2015). The Importance of Vocabulary in Language Learning and
How To Be Taught. International Journal of Teaching and Education, 3(3), 21–34.
https://doi.org/10.20472/TE.2015.3.3.002
 Asramadhani, & Murni, S. M. (2013). Improving Studnets’ Speaking Skill in

Expressing Offering by Using Role Play Technique. Transform, 3(3), 1–10. Retrieved from
https://jurnal.unimed.ac.id/2012/index.php/jelt/article/view/909
 Benmansour, S. (2019). Integrating ICT in the EFL Context: Spotlight on Teacher’s

Perceptions and Outlooks. Retrieved from http://dspace.univ-
tlemcen.dz/bitstream/112/14256/1/benamansour-souhela.pdf
 Benmeddah, W. (2017). The Use of ICT in Developing the Speaking Skill in EFL
Classes. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Use-of-ICT-in-
Developing-the-Speaking-Skill-in-
Benmeddah/7c5351109c14c4bd43218da7681cc7300bf12f4c
 Bhamare. (2018a, February 8). Effects of Social Media on Communication Skills.
Retrieved from https://theknowledgereview.com/effects-social-media-communication-skills/
 Blurton, C. (1999). New Directions of ICT-Use in Education. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/36107452/New_Directions_of_ICT_Use_in_Education
 Borges, F. (2008). THE ROLE OF THE ONLINE LEARNER: ONSITE
STUDENTS BECOMING ONLINE LEARNERS. Retrieved February 2021, from
https://dugi-doc.udg.edu//bitstream/handle/10256/994/189.pdf?sequence=1
 Brady, K., Holcomb, L., & Smith, B. (2010). The Use of Alternative Social
Networking Sites in Higher Educational Settings: A Case Study of the E-Learning Benefits of
Ning in Education. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9, 151–170. Retrieved from
http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/9.2.4.pdf
 Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2016, April 18). Pitman shorthand.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pitman-shorthand
 Brown. G. & Yule. G. (1983). Teaching spoken language. An approach on the
analysis of conversational English. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press.
 Brown, D. (2004). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices (2nd
Edition) 2nd Edition. NewYork, US: Longman.
 Bryan, A., & Volchenkova, N. (2016). Blended Learning: Definition, Models,
Implication For Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.14529/ped160204
 Burkart, G. & Sheppard, K. (2004). Content ESL across the USA: A Training Packet
A Descriptive Study of Content-ESL Practices. National Clearinghouse for English Language
Acquisition. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/cal/contentesl/.
 Çakmak, F. (2019). Mobile Assisted Language Learning in Focus. Language and
Technology, 1(1), 30–47. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332371871_Mobile_Learning_and_Mobile_Assiste
d_Language_Learning_in_Focus
 Cambridge Dictionary. (2021, March 10). pronunciation definition: 1. how words are
pronounced: 2. how words are pronounced: 3. the way in which a word or letter is. . .. Learn
more. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pronunciation
 Cambridge Dictionary. (2021, March 10). ICT définition, signification, ce qu’est
ICT: 1. abbreviation for information and communication technology: a school subject in
which students…. En savoir plus. Retrieved January 2021, from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/fr/dictionnaire/anglais/ict
 Caner. (2012). The Definition of Blended Learning in Higher Education. In Blended
Learning Environments for Adults: Evaluations and Frameworks Buy Hardcover (pp. 19–34).
Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288443155_The_Definition_of_Blended_Learning_
in_Higher_Education
 Cauley, P. (n.d). A guide to explain it all. Retrieved from

https://www.csub.edu/~tfernandez_ulloa/edmodo%20user%20guide.pdf
 Chaney, A. L., & Burk, T. L. (1998). Teaching oral communication in grades K-8. j,
j: Allyn and Bacon.
 Chouthaiwale, & Alkamel. (2018a). The positive Effect of ICT on the English
Language Learning and Teaching. urangabad, India.
 Dabas, N. (2018). Role of Computer and Information Technology in Education
System. International Journal of Engineering and Techniques, 4(1), 570–574. Retrieved from
http://oaji.net/articles/2017/1992-1525425090.pdf
 Dang, X. T. (2011). Factors Influencing Teachers’ Use of ICT in Language
Teaching: A Case Study of Hanoi University, Vietnam. Presented at the ICT for Language
Learning 4th edition, Australia. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228395987_Factors_Influencing_Teachers%27_Use
_of_ICT_in_Language_Teaching_A_Case_Study_of_Hanoi_University_Vietnam
 Dakon. (2011). Educational networking | Education | Fandom. Retrieved from
https://education.fandom.com/wiki/Educational_networking#:%7E:text=It%20has%20a%20w
orking%20definition,technologies%20(profiles%2C%20connections).
 Davies, G. (n.d.). CALL (computer assisted language learning) | LLAS Centre for
Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. Retrieved from
https://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/61
 Dedja, M. (2015). ICT in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Benefits and
Challenges. European Journal of Language and Literature, 42–47.
https://doi.org/10.26417/ejls.v2i1.p42-47
 Delhumeau, H. (2011, August 13). Language and Globalization. Retrieved from

https://hdelhumeau.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/language-and-globalization/
 Derakhshan, A, Salehi, D & Rahimzadeh, M. (2015). COMPUTER-ASSISTED

LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL): PEDAGOGICAL PROS AND CONS. International
Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 4(3), 111–120.
https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23/2015.4.3/23.3.111.120
 Dhanda, S. (2015). Change In Student and Teacher Roles Using Technology In Class
Room. International Journal of Education and Information Studies, 5(1), 45–49.
https://www.ripublication.com/ijeisv1n1/ijeisv5n1_06.pdf
 Dincer, A. (2017). EFL Learners’ Beliefs about Speaking English and Being a Good
Speaker: A Metaphor Analysis. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(1), 104–112.
https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050113
 Dogruer, N., Eyyam, R., & Menevis, I. (2011). The use of the internet for
educational purposes. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 606–611. Retrieved from
https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/997538
 Estliden, K. (2017). ” Why is it important to learn English?”. Retrieved from
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1078032/FULLTEXT01.pdf
 Easwaramoorthy, M., & Zarinpoush, F. (2006). INTERVIEWING FOR
RESEARCH. Retrieved April 30, 2021, from
http://sectorsource.ca/sites/default/files/resources/files/tipsheet6_interviewing_for_research_e
n_0.pdf
 Faizi, R., El Afia, A., & Chiheb, R. (2013). Exploring the Potential Benefits of Using
Social Media in Education. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning,
3(4), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v3i4.2836
 Fillmore, C. J. (1979). On fluency. In D. Kempler & W. S. Y. Wang (Eds.), Individual
differences in language ability and language behavior (pp. 85-102). New York: Academic
Press
 Gao, L. X., & Zhang, L. J. (2020). Teacher Learning in Difficult Times: Examining
Foreign Language Teachers’ Cognitions About Online Teaching to Tide Over COVID-19.
Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.549653/full
 Ghasemi, B., & Hashemi, M. (2011). ICT: New wave in English Language
Learning/Teaching. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3098–3102. Retrieved from
https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/1076660/viewer
 Gheidir, B. M., & Nesba, A. (2020). Learning with Digital Tools: The Impact of
Integrating ICT on Students’ Speaking Proficiency. Retrieved from https://dspace.univ-
ouargla.dz/jspui/bitstream/123456789/24213/3/S4331F.pdf
 Ghermaoui, I. (2018). Assessing The Speaking Skill Among EFL Learners. Retrieved
from http://dspace.univ-tlemcen.dz/bitstream/112/13388/1/imane-ghermaoui.pdf
 Gilakjani, A. P. (2012). The Significance of Pronunciation in English Language
Teaching. English Language Teaching, 5(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n4p96
 Gómez, S. (2008, July 6). ICTs advantages and disadvantages in ELT. Retrieved
from https://www.slideshare.net/teacher_sofia/icts-advantages-and-disadvantages-in-elt
 Gormley , McDermott. (2010). How social bookmarking can help the 21st century
teacher. Language and Literacy Spectrum, 20, 5–14. Retrieved from
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1059516
 Grammar definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. (2021, March 16).
Retrieved from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/grammar-pattern
 Habibu, T., Al-Mamun, M., & Clement, C. (2012). Difficulties Faced by Teachers in
Using ICT in Teaching-Learning at Technical and Higher Educational Institutions of Uganda.
Use of Technology in Higher Education/Vocational Education, 1(7), 1–9. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281349386_Difficulties_Faced_by_Teachers_in_Us
ing_ICT_in_Teaching-
Learning_at_Technical_and_Higher_Educational_Institutions_of_Uganda
 Hakim, A. R., & Kodriyah, L. (2015). Edmodo: An Effective Solution To Blended

Learning For EFL Learners. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311571022_EDMODO_AN_EFFECTIVE_SOLUT
ION_TO_BLENDED_LEARNING_FOR_EFL_LEARNERS
 Hancock, M. (2018). Pronunciation in the English language classroom is more than
just. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/teaching-pronunciation-
more-just-listen-and-
repeat#:%7E:text=Pronunciation%20includes%20features%20of%20language,beneath%20th
e%20surface%20of%20speech.&text=And%20pronunciation%20involves%20listening%20to
%20how%20the%20language%20sounds.
 Hargadon, S. (n.d.). Educational Networking: The Important Role Web 2.0 Will Play
in Education. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/24161189/Educational-
Networking-The-Important-Role-Web-2-0-Will-Play-in-Education
 Harmer, J. (2007a). The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.). Retrieved
from
https://www.academia.edu/25472823/The_Practice_of_English_Language_Teaching_4th_Edi
tion_Jeremy_Harmer
 Harris, D. P. (1969). Testing English as a second language. New York. : McGraw-
Hill.
 Hartoyo. (2009, July 7). ICT IN THE LEARNING OF EFL. Retrieved from
https://hartoyo.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/ict-in-the-learning-of-efl/
 Hashemi, M., Azizinezhad, M., Najafi, V., & Nesari, A. J. (2011). What is Mobile
Learning ? Challenges and Capabilities. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2477–
2481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.483
 Heibert, & Kamil. (2005). The teaching and learning of vocabulary: Perspectives
and persistent issues. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/7411545/The_teaching_and_learning_of_vocabulary_Perspectives
_and_persistent_issues
 Heintz, N. (2020, February 6). A Social Network With a Self-Help Bent. Retrieved
from https://www.inc.com/magazine/201112/gina-gianchini-social-network-with-a-self-help-
bent.html
 Heng Luo, & Jing Lei. (2012). Emerging Technologies for Interactive Learning in
the ICT Age. In Instructional Design in Blended Learning Environment (pp. 73–91).
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-0137-6.ch005
 History of ICT in education: [Essay Example], 957 words. (2019, January 29).
Retrieved January 2021, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/history-of-ict-in-
education/
 Hossain, M. I. (2015). Teaching Productive Skills to the Students: A Secondary Level

Scenario. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/74352632.pdf
 Isisag, K. (2012). The Positive Effects of Integrating ICT in Foreign Language

Teaching. Presented at the ICT for Language Learning. Retrieved from
https://conference.pixel-
online.net/conferences/ICT4LL2012/common/download/Paper_pdf/235-IBT107-FP-Isisag-
ICT2012.pdf
 Izurrategui, P. (2020). What is interactive speaking? Retrieved from
https://askinglot.com/what-is-interactive-
speaking#:%7E:text=Interactive%20speaking%20situations%20include%20face,speech%20fr
om%20our%20conversation%20partner.
 Javed, W., Sunil, K., Imshad, A., & Jamshed, S. (2014). Web Based Learning.
International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technologies, 5(1), 446–449.
Retrieved from https://pdf4pro.com/view/javed-wasim-et-al-ijcsit-international-journal-of-
5bc489.html
 Kaddour, K. (2016). Enhancing EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill Through Effective
Communicative Activities and Strategies The Case of First Year EFL students. Retrieved from
http://dspace.univ-tlemcen.dz/bitstream/112/8910/1/kaddour-khaoula.pdf
 Kavitharaj, K. (2017). ICT to Enhance Speaking Skills. International Journal of
English Language, Literature in Humanities, 5(11), 843–846.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321383803_ICT_to_enhance_speaking_skills
 Kareem, N. (2017). The Importance of Using Information Communication
Technology for Learning and Teaching the English Language in Kurdistan of Iraq. Retrieved
from https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=tesol_matheses
 Khamkhien, T. A. (2012). Computer Assisted Language Learning and English
Language Teaching in Thailand: Overview. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 3(1),
55–64. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2012.03.01.55
 Khodorkovsky, M. (2013, November 16). How is English Used as a Lingua Franca
Today? Retrieved from https://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/how-is-english-used-as-a-
lingua-franca-today/
 Kurniati, A., Eliwarti, & Novitri. (n.d). A Study On The Speaking Ability Of The
Second Year Students Of SMK Telkom Pekanbaru. Retrieved from
https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/206186-none.pdf
 KÜRÜM, E. Y. ş. (2016). Teaching Speaking Skills. In TEACHING LANGUAGE
SKILLS FOR PROSPECTIVE ENGLISH TEACHERS (1st ed., pp. 45–64). Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312538107_Teaching_Speaking_Skills
 Kusumawardani, S. A., & Mardiyani, E. (2018). The Correlation Between English
Grammar Competence and Speaking Fluency. Project (Professional Journal of English
Education), 1(6), 724–733. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v1i6.p724-733
 Kwame, J. (2015). The integration of Information and Communication Technology
for teaching and learning at Ghanaian Colleges of Education: ICT Tutors’ Perceptions.
African Journal of Teacher Education, 4(2), 2. Retrieved
fromhttps://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/ajote/article/view/3095
 Laksana, A. J. (2016). The Effectiveness Of Using Chain Story Game in Teaching
Speaking. Retrieved from http://repository.ump.ac.id/2221/
 Lalima, & Dangwal, L. (2017). Blended Learning: An Innovative Approach.

Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(1), 129–136.
https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050116
 Li, C. A. T. H. Y., & Lalani, F. (2020, April 29). The rise of online learning during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-
digital-learning/
 Londhe, S. V. P., & Panade, S. V. (2016). ICT TOOLS AND ENGLISH
LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING. In S. Mane (Ed.), ICT : CATALYST IN
TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (pp. 39–44). Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335172101_ICT_TOOLS_AND_ENGLISH_LANG
UAGE_TEACHING_AND_LEARNING
 Liu, H. (n.d.). A Brief History of Educational Technology. Retrieved January 2021,
from https://docplayer.net/4650670-A-brief-history-of-educational-technology.html
 Luik, P., & Kukemelk, H. (2018). Changes in learning process caused by the
implementation of ICT in education in Estonian in-service and pre-service teachers
perceptions. US-China Education Review, 5(10), 17–25.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504947.pdf
 Mahu, D. (2012). Why Is Learning English So Beneficial Nowadays. International
Journal of Communication Research, 2(4), 374–376. Retrieved from
https://www.ijcr.eu/articole/108_102_pdfsam_IJCR%204-2012%20tipo.pdf
 Mahini, F., Forushan, Z. J.-A., & Haghani, F. (2012). The importance of teacher’s
role in technology-based education. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1614–1618.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.348
 Masbiran, G., & Fauzi, A. (2017). Speaking Skill in Using Community Language
Learning (CLL). Indonesian Journal of Integrated English Language Teaching, 3(2), 198–
205. https://doi.org/10.24014/ijielt.v3i2.4844
 Mathers, N., Fox, N. J., & Hunn, A. (n.d.). Using Interviews in a Research Project. In
Research Approaches in Primary Care (pp. 113–134). Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253117832_Using_Interviews_in_a_Research_Proj
ect
 Mazouzi, S. (2013, June). Analysis of Some Factors Affecting Learners’ Oral
Performance A Case Study: 3 rd year pupils of Menaa’s middle schools. Retrieved from
http://archives.univ-biskra.dz/bitstream/123456789/4772/1/PEOPLE1.pdf
 Miangah, T. M., & Nezarat, A. (2012). Mobile-Assisted Language Learning.
International Journal of Parallel Emergent and Distributed Systems, 3(1), 309–319.
https://doi.org/10.5121/ijdps.2012.3126
 Minaev, A. (2021, January 1). What is a Blog? – Definition of Terms Blog,
Blogging, and Blogger. Retrieved from https://firstsiteguide.com/what-is-blog/
 Mohamad, & Woollard. (2012, May). Issues and challenges in implementing mobile
learning in Malaysian schools. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271328732_Issues_and_challenges_in_implementin
g_mobile_learning_in_Malaysian_schools
 Molnar, A. R. (1997). Computers in Education: A Brief History. T.H.E. Journal,
24(11), 63–68. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/82466/
 Mora, S. L. (2013). Benefits of blogs in education - Education Blogs. Retrieved from
http://desarrolloweb.dlsi.ua.es/blogs/benefits-of-blogs
 Morrow, Roskos, & Gambrell. (2016). Oral Language and Comprehension in
Preschool: Teaching the Essentials. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Oral-
Language-Comprehension-Preschool-Essentials/dp/1462524001
 Mullamaa, K. (2010). ICT in Language Learning - Benefits and Methodological
Implications. International Education Studies, 3(1), 38–44. Retrieved from
 Naciri, H. (2019). The Use of ICTs to Enhance Students’ Speaking Skills. Retrieved
from https://conference.pixel-online.net/ICT4LL/files/ict4ll/ed0012/FP/3066-LSK4226-FP-
ICT4LL12.pdf
 Naveed, F. (2019, November 9). ROLE OF TELEVISION IN THE FIELD OF

EDUCATION. Retrieved from https://www.masscommunicationtalk.com/role-of-television-
in-the-field-of-
education.html#:%7E:text=Television%20has%20been%20given%20considerable,and%20a
%20tool%20of%20teaching.&text=The%20medium%20is%20used%20for,as%20supportive
%20and%20reinforcement%20tool.
 Olmstead, L. (2019, November 5). What is Social Bookmarking in SEO? (+6 Best
Bookmarking Sites). Retrieved from https://leviolmstead.com/social-
bookmarking/#:%7E:text=The%20first%20social%20bookmarking%20site,their%20new%20
sites%20and%20content.
 P. (2013, February 1). ICT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND
LEARNING. Retrieved from https://prinzessinnadia.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/ict-in-
english-language-teaching-and-learning/
 Pappas, C. (2020, May 21). How To Use Blogs In the Classroom. Retrieved from
https://elearningindustry.com/how-to-use-blogs-in-the-classroom
 Poudel, G. P. (2018, January 7). Integrating ICTs in English language teaching:
Teachers’ perception, strategies and challenges. Retrieved from
https://neltaeltforum.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/integrating-icts-in-english-language-
teaching-teachers-perception-strategies-and-challenges/
 Puschmann, C. (2013). Pragmatics of Computer-Mediated Communication.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110214468.83
 Puspitaa, D. R., & Rosnaningsiha, A. (2019). Need Analysis of Speaking Skill by
Using Simulation for Students of Primary School Teacher Education. Journal of English
Language Studies, 4(2), 159–169. Retrieved from
https://jurnal.untirta.ac.id/index.php/JELS/article/view/6197
 Rababah, L. (2020). ICT Obstacles and Challenges Faced by English Language
Learners During the Coronavirus Outbreak in. International Journal of Linguistics, 12(3), 28–
36. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v12i3.17048
 Rahmawati, & Ertin. (2015). Developing Assessment for Speaking. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295100198_DEVELOPING_ASSESSMENT_FOR
_SPEAKING
 Ramey, T. E. (2017). Game Based Learning (GBL) Impact on Foreign Language

Vocabulary Learning. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318351548_Game_Based_Learning_GBL_Impact_
on_Foreign_Language_Vocabulary_Learning
 Ratheeswari, K. (2018). Information Communication Technology in Education.
Journal of Applied and Advanced Research, 3(1), 45–47. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325087961_Information_Communication_Technolo
gy_in_Education
 Richards, J. C. (2008). Teaching Listening and Speaking: From Theory to Practice.
Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255634567_Teaching_Listening_and_Speaking_Fro
m_Theory_to_Practice
 Rooij, L. (2015). Television. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Economics and Society
(Vol. 1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312292610_Television
 Sabio, R. (n.d.). Speaking and Listening Assessments. Retrieved from
http://rbte494assessments.weebly.com/listening.html
 Sanako. (0). A Complete Guide to our full range of educational products. Retrieved
from https://www.teseducatief.nl/uploads/pdf/Sanako/2015-Brochure.pdf
 Sanako Oy. (n.d.). Our Story | Sanako - a Finnish Educational Tech Company.
Retrieved from https://sanako.com/about/
 Schütz, R. (2019). Stephen Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition.
Retrieved from https://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash-english.html
 Simin, Thanusha, Logeswary, & Annreetha. (2016b). Teaching and Learning with
ICT Tools: Issues and Challenges from Teachers’ Perceptions. Malaysian Online Journal of
Educational Technology, 4(2), 38–57. Retrieved from
 Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance learning | education. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/distance-learning
 Sridharan, B., Deng, H., & Kinshuk. (2014). Does supply always come on the heels
of demand? Matches and mismatches in e-learning. Issues in Educational Research, 24(3),
260–280. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286105984_Does_supply_always_come_on_the_he
els_of_demand_Matches_and_mismatches_in_e-learning
 Srinivas Rao, P. (2018, April). Developing speaking skills in ESL or EFL settings.
https://doi.org/10.33329/ijelr.52.286
 Stauffer, B. (2020). What’s the Difference Between Online Learning and Distance
Learning? Retrieved from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/online-learning-vs-distance-
learning#:%7E:text=With%20online%20learning%20(sometimes%20called,work%20and%2
0checks%20in%20digitally.
 Stern, J. (n.d). Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.wlac.edu/online/documents/otl.pdf
 Strampel, K., & Oliver, R. (2009). Blogging for Learning: Improving Teaching
Strategies for Implementing Blogs in Higher Education. Presented at the World Conference
on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236833991_Blogging_for_Learning_Improving_Te
aching_Strategies_for_Implementing_Blogs_in_Higher_Education
 Thamarana, S., & Kallepalli, M. (2018). Teaching Speaking Skills Online: Prospects
and Possibilities. Presented at the ELTAI TIRUPATHI CHAPTER 6TH ANNUAL
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Tirupathi, India. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323252357_Teaching_Speaking_Skills_Online_Pro
spects_and_Possibilitie
 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). interactive media | Definition,
History, Examples, & Facts. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/technology/interactive-media
 Thesis (print) Ferhati, J & Ghegaglia, M. (2020). ICT and Language Learner
Autonomy (Master’s thesis) BADJI MOKHTAR ANNABA-UNIVERSITY, Department of
English, Annaba, Algeria.
 Torky, S. A. F. (2006). The Effectiveness of a Task-Based Instruction Program in

Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Secondary Stage Students. Retrieved
from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED523922
 Traxler, J. (2005). Defining mobile learning. International Conference Mobile

Learning, 261–266. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228637407_Defining_mobile_learning
 Tsai, S., & Machado, P. (2002). E-learning, online learning, web-based learning, or
distance learning: unveiling the ambiguity in current terminology. Elearn, 2002(7), 0.
https://doi.org/10.1145/566778.568597
 UNESCO. (2011). Accessible ICTs and Personalized Learning for Students with
Disabilities: a dialogue among Educators, Industry, Government and Civil Society;
Consultative expert meeting report. Retrieved from https://www.cto.int/wp-
content/themes/solid/_layout/dc/k-
r/UNESCO%20Accessible%20ICTs%20and%20Personalized%20Learning%20for%20Stude
nts%20with%20Disabilities.pdf
 Vicki. (2008). It is about Educational Networking NOT Social Networking.
Retrieved from http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-is-about-educational-
networking-not.html
 What is Web-Based Learning | IGI Global. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.igi-
global.com/dictionary/web-based-learning/32418
 Wheeler, S. (2000). The Role of the Teacher in the Use of ICT. Presented at the The
National Czech Teachers Conference, Czech Republic. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/ChrisKwei/the-role-of-the-teacher-in-the-use-of-ict
 Why is it important to integrate ICT in EFL or ESL teaching (ELT)? (2014).
Retrieved from http://restoe-rc.blogspot.com/2014/12/why-is-it-important-to-integrate-ict-
in.html
 Wibawa, Y. K. (2016). Improving The Students’ Speaking Skill Through Role Play.
Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/dell/Downloads/5654-12388-1-SM.pdf
 WordReference. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/pronunciation#:~:text=Phoneticsthe%20act%20or
%20result,standard%20of%20correctness%20or%20acceptability.&text=Phoneticsthe%20con
ventional%20patterns%20of,language%3Athe%20pronunciation%20of%20French.
 World Health Organization WHO. (2020, April). Coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) Situation Report (94). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/docs/default-
source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200423-sitrep-94-covid-
19.pdf?sfvrsn=b8304bf0_2#:~:text=Retrospective%20investigations%20by%20Chinese%20a
uthorities,%2C%20some%20did%20not
 youmatter. (2020, October 6). What is Globalization? Examples, Definition, Benefits
and Effects. Retrieved from https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-globalization-
definition-benefits-effects-
examples/#:%7E:text=Globalization%20means%20the%20speedup%20of,and%20population
s%20around%20the%20globe.
 Yunus, M., Lubis, M., & Lin, C. (2009). Language Learning via ICT: Uses,
Challenges and Issues. WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND
APPLICATIONS, 6(9), 1453–1467. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/234793968_Language_learning_via_ICT_Uses
_challenges_and_issues
 Zakari, I. (2019, October). History of computer and its generations [Slides].
Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336700280_History_of_computer_and_its_generati
ons
 Ziane, R. (2012). The Role of Listening Comprehension in Improving EFL Learners’
Speaking Skill. Retrieved from http://archives.univ-
biskra.dz/bitstream/123456789/4590/1/mimior.pdf
Appendices
Appendix“A”
Students’ Questionnaire
Dear students,
This questionnaire is being conducted by Master Two students at the English
department in the University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba. It seeks to collect information about
concerning your perception towards the experience of online learning of oral expression
during the COVID19 confinement, in addition to your opinions regarding the use of ICTs in
normal face-to-face oral classes and in which way these technologies may influence your
speaking skill. Therefore, you are kindly requested to answer the following questions by
either using a tick (✓) in the correct box or answering with full sentences when necessary. All
our appreciations and thanks in advance for your collaboration.
Moumene Amira and Chouichi Loubna
English Department Badji Mokhtar University
Annaba
April 2021
Section one: General Information

Q1: How old are you?
Q2: How do you consider your level in English?
a. Good
b. Average
c. Poor
Q3: How do you consider your level in the speaking skill in English?
a. Good
b. Average
c. Poor
Section Two: ICTs use.
Q4: Which learning shapes you are most familiar with? (you can choose more than one)
a. Blended Learning
b. Distance Learning
c. Face-to-face Learning
d. Online Learning
Q5: How often do you use ICTs for learning outside the classroom?
a. Rarely
b. Sometimes
c. Always
d. Never
Q6: What is your most used ICT device or means for learning? (you can choose more than
one)
a. Computer
b. Television
c. Smart-Phone
d. Internet
e. Social-Media
Q7: Do you think it is beneficial to use ICTs for learning?
a. Yes
b. No
Q8: If yes, please explain
……………………………………………………………………………………
Q9: As Master Two English student, do you think ICTs in your classroom are:
a. Well exploited
b. Not fully exploited
c. Not used at all
Section Three: Speaking skill before the COVID19 confinement
Q10: How often have you used to present in oral expression sessions in the classroom?
a. Always
b. Frequently
c. Rarely
Q11: Did you face difficulties in presenting orally?
a. Yes
b. No
Q12: What are your most challenging difficulties in oral presentations? (you can choose more
than one)
a. Fluency
b. Low self-confidence
c. Stage fright
d. Language proficiency
Q13: According to you, speaking skill is important in learning EFL because it helps in:
a. Having a good reputation as an EFL learner

b. Boosting a learner’s motivation and confidence
c. Expressing correctly feelings and thoughts
d. Building social bonds
e. Carrying an effective communication
Q14: In your oral expression session, what is the most used activity?
a. Discussions
b. Role Play
c. Oral presentations
d. Communication Activities
e. Small talks
Section Four: ICTs and Speaking skill during COVID19 confinement
Q15: How often did you use to participate in oral expression online sessions during the
a. Always
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
Q16: Which ICT platform you used for oral expression sessions during the COVID19
confinement?
a. E-mail
b. Sanako
c. Zoom
d. Instagram/Facebook
Q17: Did you find the previous ICTs helpful?
a. Yes
b. No
Q18: If no, please explain:
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Q19: Based on your experience, do you think online learning of oral expression during the
COVID19 confinement was successful?
a. Yes
b. No
Q20: What were the main obstacles faced during this experience?
a. Lack of devices
b. Technological Literacy
c. Timing/Duration of the session
d. Technical problems (internet connection/lack of accessibility)
e. Passivity of the process
Q21: What are the benefits of learning oral expression through ICTs during the COVID19
confinement?……………………………………………………………………………………
Q22: With learning oral expression through ICTs, do you think the role of the teacher and the
learner have changed?
a. Yes
b. No
Q23: Please explain how:
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Q24: Are online presentations better than face-to-face?
a. Yes
b. No
Q25: Online presentations are:
a. More interactive
b. Less interactive
c. More comfortable
d. Less comfortable
Q26: In your perception:
a. ICTs have a positive impact on speaking skill
Agree Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
b. Presenting online is more stressful
c. After learning oral expression through ICTs, my speaking skill has been enhanced

Section Five: Suggestions
Q27: How is it possible to enhance the quality of oral expression sessions via ICTs during
the COVID19 period?
………………………………………………………………………………
Appendix “B”
Teachers’ Interview
1. How do you consider your students’ speaking skill level?

2. What kind of challenges do your students face in oral presentations?
3. What do you think about the integration of ICTs in teaching oral expression? Please
explain.
4. Before Covid19 confinement, how did the students react to the use of ICTs in oral
sessions?
5. Please explain how the experience of learning oral expression through ICTs during
the COVID19 confinement has influenced the students’ speaking skill?
6. How successful was the experience of teaching oral expression through ICTs
during the COVI19 confinement? Please explain.
7. What are the main obstacles faced in teaching oral expression through ICTs during
the confinement?
8. How have the roles of the teacher and the learner changed during the confinement
with learning through ICTs? Please explain
9. Through which ICT means, and how did you assess your students’ performance
through ICTs in oral sessions?
10. What do you think about students’ online performance?
11. How can teachers better the use of ICTs in teaching oral expression?
12. How can students positively use ICTs to enhance their speaking skill?
Thank you for your collaboration.

Appendix “C”
Pedagogical Implications
Figure 19: Word Press, website for creating online websites and blogs
Figure 20: YouTube Channel, Learn English with EnglishClass 101.
Figure 21: YouTube Channel, Speak English with Vanessa.

Figure 22: YouTube Channel, Ross IELTS Academy.
Figure 23: YouTube Channel, IELTS ADVANTAGE.
Figure 24: Phone Application, FluentU.

Figure25: Crossword Phone Games.
Thank you for your collaboration.

‫ملخص‪:‬‬
‫إن استخدام التكنولوجيا الحديثة في الوقت الحاضر أصبح اقوي و أوضح و محاط بنا من كل اتجاه بما في ذلك التعليم‬
‫و االكتساب المعرفي‪ .‬يتولى هذا البحث مناقشة مدى تأثير التعليم عن بعد من خالل تكنولوجيا المعلومات واالتصاالت‬
‫على المهارات التحدث لطالب اللغة االنجليزية كلغة أجنبية (سنة ثانية ماستر) في فترة الحجر الصحي لجائحة‬
‫كورونا (كوفيد‪ .)١٩‬كما يناقش و يكشف آراء األساتذة و الطالب بخصوص العراقيل التي واجهوها خالل هذه الفترة‬
‫موجه لطلبة السنة الثانية ماستر قسم لغة‬

‫للوصول إلى النتائج المستهدفة‪ ،‬تم اعتماد وسيلتين بحثيتين‪ .‬أوال‪ ،‬استبيان ّ‬
‫انجليزية تخصص لسانيات بجامعة باجي مختار‪ -‬عنابة‪ .‬ثانيا‪ ،‬مقابالت أجريت مع أساتذة لوحدة التعبير الشفوي لنفس‬
‫أظهرت نتائج البحث ّ‬

‫أن التعلم عن بعد خالل الحجر الصحي أثر ايجابيا إلى حد ما على مهارات التحدث ‪.‬القسم‬
‫للطلبة‪ .‬كما أوضحت العديد من العراقيل منها المشاكل التقنية كجودة اإلنترنت السيئة‪ ،‬ضعف المعرفة التكنولوجية‪،‬‬
‫توقيت الحصص و مدتها‪ ،‬طبيعة المنصات المستخدمة‪ ،‬نقص األجهزة‪ ،‬عدم االعتياد على التعلم عن بعد‪ ،‬عدم فعالية‬
‫المنهج‪.‬‬
Résumé :
L'utilisation de la technologie moderne actuellement est devenue plus forte, plus claire et
nous entourée de toutes les domaines de la vie, comprenant l’éducation et L'acquisition
de connaissances. Cette recherche examine l'impact de l'enseignement à distance grâce
aux technologies de l'information et de la communication sur les compétences orales des
étudiants en anglais langue étrangère deuxième année master pendant la période du
confinement à cause de virus (COVID19). Cette recherche discute et révèle aussi
également les opinions des professeurs et des étudiants sur les obstacles auxquels ils ont
été confrontés pendant cette période. Pour atteindre les résultats visés, deux méthodes de
recherche ont été adoptées. Tout d'abord, un questionnaire s'adresse aux étudiants de
deuxième année, MA, Département de langue anglaise, spécialité linguistiques à
l'Université Badji Mokhtar - Annaba. Deuxièmement, des entretiens ont été menés avec
des professeurs de l'unité d'expression orale du même département. Les résultats de la
recherche ont montré que l'apprentissage à distance pendant la quarantaine avait un effet
positif dans une certaine mesure sur les compétences orales des étudiants. Les résultats
ont également clarifié de nombreux obstacles, y compris des problèmes techniques tels
que la mauvaise qualité d'Internet, les mauvaises connaissances technologiques, le
calendrier et la durée des cours, la nature des plates-formes utilisées, le manque
d'appareils, le manque de familiarité avec l'apprentissage à distance et l'efficacité du
programme.

Chouichi Loubna

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chouichi Loubna

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chouichi Loubna

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

‫الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية‬

‫وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي‬

BADJI MOKHTAR ANNABA-UNIVERSITY ‫جامعة باجي مختار – عنابة‬

Domain: Foreign Languages

Investigating the Efficiency of Information and

A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of English in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

Academic Year: 2020/2021

This dissertation is dedicated to:

in my life. May ALLAH bless you.

My two siblings, Ing.Abd el Moumen & Dr.Lina, I am proud of you both.

To my online friends, for cheering me up with memes.

To everyone who ever bore my offensive sarcasm.

To my friend and binominal Amira Moumene, we shared five years full of

I dedicate this dissertation to:

My treasured parents who raised me well, supported me and always believed in

me each time I turned to them.

cheering me up, and encouraging me to do more and more.

A special dedication to my binominal Loubna Chouichi for sharing with me five

have ever had.

giving birth to the most affectionate person I ever known, Okba.

successfully complete the research.

as to be a good and active teachers.

well as for their valuable evaluation and comments.

chance to learn from, namely, teacher Rahil Dellali.

learning through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) during COVID19

ABC: Atanasoff-Berry Computer.

APS: Algeria Press Service.

BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation.

CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning.

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching.

COVID19: Corona Virus Disease of 2019.

EFL: English as a Foreign Language.

ETF: European Training Foundation.

FLL: Foreign Language Learning.

FLT: Foreign Language Training.

FL: Foreign Language.

ICT: Information and Communication Technology.

ICTs: Information and Communication Technologies.

IBM: International Business Machine.

IT: Information Technology.

MALL: Mobile Assisted Language Learning.

ML: Mobile Learning.

TEFL: Teaching English as Foreign Language.

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

WHO: World Health Organization.

Table 1: The difference between online, distance and blended learning…………11

Table 2: Modern FLL VS Traditional FLL……………………………………….18

Table 3: Students’ Age……………………………………………………………58

Table 4: Students’ level in speaking skill…………………………………………59

Table 5: Students’ opinion on the utility of ICTs in learning…………………….61

Table 6: Students’ views concerning facing difficulties in oral presentations…...65

Table 8: Students’ opinion on the online learning experience during COVID19

Table 10: Students’ perception on online and face-to-face presentations………... 75

Table 11: Students’ perceptions on speaking skill and ICTs………………………77

Figure 1: ICTs application in EFL learning……………………………………….23

Figure 2: Speaking skill components……………………………………………..34

Figure 3: Speaking skill classroom organization…………………………………39

Figure 4: Online learning characteristics…………………………………………49

Figure 5: Students’ level in English………………………………………………59

Figure 6: Students’ most familiar learning shape…………………………………60