Abstract
Many students whose first language is not English face challenges in English oral presentations. In class, instructors focus on teaching the subject matter. They often lack time or expertise to teach speaking as a skill. A technology-enabled application, such as Speeko, can address key aspects such as pronunciation, intonation, and pacing towards effective oral communication. This study aims to answer a research question: How do graduate students make use of the AI-based Speeko application to improve their speaking skills, and to what extent do they benefit from it? Participants were students in an elective course offered by the Master of Arts (Applied Linguistics) Programme at a university in Singapore in the January 2025 semester. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview, a goal-setting survey, and student oral presentation. The research team provided a scaffolding session to introduce the Speeko application and its affordances to students. Findings show that Speeko’s assessment and feedback are accurate in terms of pace, fillers, pausing, intonation, and articulation. There is limitation in its assessment of word choice and content of oral presentations. This study contributes to an improvement in student learning outcomes. Specifically, the AI-based application can provide students with personalized feedback which can help them improve their performance as they know the specific areas that need more work. This helps them achieve their goal of giving a clear oral presentation and convincing the audience of their ideas and propositions.
Presenters
Yin Ling CheungAssociate Professor, English Language and Literature, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Technology-enabled Application, Speaking Skills, Graduate Students
