EFFECTS OF MOBILE-BASED AURAL/ORAL SKILL INSTRUCTIONS ON TEACHER TRAINEES’ ATTITUDE, AURAL COMPREHENSION AND ORAL SKILL PERFORMANCES IN ARBA MINCH TEACHER EDUCATION COLLEGE

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study aimed to identify whether a mobile-based approach affected the English as a foreign language teacher trainees’ attitude, aural comprehension and oral performances after they were engaged in experimental intervention training with mobile-based lessons integrating the aural and oral skill lessons. To conduct pilot and main study interventions, tests were administered as pre-, mid-interval (optional), and post-intervention aural comprehension and oral skill tests for a group of 27 third-year EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher trainees at Arba Minch Teacher Education College in the academic year 2020/21-2021/22 G.C. Quasi-experimental, time series designs were used to study the problem. Accordingly, the teacher trainees’ attitude towards mobile-based approach to attend aural comprehension lessons was assessed using a five-point Likert scale attitude survey questionnaire; however, their aural comprehension and oral skill performances were measured using a test having twenty multiple choice question items and a rubric to measure their oral performances, respectively. Consequently, the reliability of aural comprehension and oral performance tests were measured to predict the reproducibility of the results in other test occasions. Consequently, nonparametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Friedman’s Test and Kruskal-Wallis’s H’ Test were employed to determine the effects on the trainees’ attitude, aural comprehension and oral skill performances and on the performances in the corresponding sub-skills. Therefore, the significant aural comprehension and oral skill sub-constructs were identified through pairwise comparisons of the four aural comprehension tests mean rank values along with Friedman’s method of related samples Kendall’s coefficient of concordance analysis. Descriptive and Kruskal-Wallis’s H tests were employed to identify the oral skill sub-skills significant to the teacher trainees’ oral skill developments. Finally, the results revealed that the use of a mobile-based instructional approach had significant positive changes on the teacher trainees’ attitude, aural comprehension and oral skill performances. Accordingly, literal-level aural comprehension sub-skill lessons were found to be more significant in raising the trainees’ aural comprehension performances when compared with the contributions of comprehension level lessons that were meant to deal with inferential, critical, and creative listening sub-skill lesson activities; whereas, all the oral skill sub construct skills were found to be equally significant to develop the teacher trainees oral skill performance as a result of mobile-based aural and oral skill lesson implementations. Therefore, EFL teachers are advised to skillfully apply mobile-based lesson approach or instruction to deliver aural and oral skill lessons for the betterment of their teacher trainees’ aural comprehension and oral skill performances in the target foreign language.