Synthesis of blended learning and bichronous learning in improving undergraduates' English-speaking skills through short presentations

Abstract

The significance of speaking English gained momentum in every walk of life due to its massive use in the global market. However, using technology makes it more interesting and exciting for students to excel in speaking skills. It can be optimized to help improve students' speaking skills as the Internet is accessible to most students in the 21st century. Considering the significance of English-speaking skills and the likelihood of improving them using digital technology, the researchers used Flipgrid asynchronously with the synchronously-used CEFR speaking rubrics to improve the undergraduates' English-speaking skills. In this study, the researchers used short presentations to hone the experimental group's English-speaking skills, for which they employed the synthesis of blended learning and bichronous learning. To be precise, the blend of traditional learning and digital learning (Blended learning) with the blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning (Bichronous Learning) was employed in improving the speaking skills of the undergraduates in this research. This study was conducted based on quantitative research by collecting and analyzing numerical data of a couple of research groups, the control group (n1=11) and the experimental group (n2=18), through Paired t-test, as the sample is small, i.e., n < 30. This research also used a closed-ended post-test questionnaire to elicit the students’ responses on the asynchronous use of Flipgrid and synchronous use of CEFR Speaking rubrics in assessing their speaking skills. The findings of this study encapsulate the considerable improvement of the undergraduates' English-speaking skills by proving that the Calculated t >Tabulated t (Tab t0.05 with 17 d.o.f is 1.740). As a result, the Null Hypothesis (H0) was rejected, and the Alternative Hypothesis (H1) was accepted. This way, the Speaking assessment training proved productive.