Exploring the Efficacy of Video Project Assignments in English Language Learning through the Lens of Tertiary-Level EFL Students

Abstract

Convenient methods for the instruction of foreign languages are constantly in quest as a consequence of incessant technological breakthroughs at a rapid speed. Video-making proj- ect has turned out to be a prominent technique that allows learners to be actively involved in the target language and utilize L2 in real-world situations with “intake” they obtained from in-class setting. English language students’ perceptions concerning the effectiveness of these multimodal resources in their learning experience as non-examination assessment tools have not, however, been the objective of many studies within online EFL contexts. Hence, this study was directed at seeking the relationship between EFL learners’ perceptions of the efficacy of group project assignments on their L2 competence, language learning process, and implementations in online classes. To that end, 75 sophomore Turkish students in tertiary-level education enrolled in a compulsory online module of English partook in the research by filling out a 17-item questionnaire. The results portray the positive relations between their perceptions towards the influences of those projects on language proficiency and target language learning phases, whereas a significant relationship was not detected be- tween their implementations in online settings and contributions to the L2 learning process. Nevertheless, the optimistic approach of EFL students to exploit these projects as effective tools for English proficiency mediated the link between these two foregoing sub-dimensions. Accordingly, some suggestions were provided for future research directions.

Keywords

• EFL
• Student-generated video-project assignment
• Video-based assignment
• Video-making
• Video-project assignment (VPA)

References

1. Aksel, A., & Gürman-Kahraman, F. (2014). Video project assignments and their effectiveness on foreign language learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141, 319–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.055
2. Arsenis, P., Flores, M., & Petropoulou, D. (2022). Enhancing graduate employability skills and student engagement through group video assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(2), 245-258. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1897086
3. Boey, C.K., Sathish, S., & Koh, S.N.A. (2023). Impact of technology-enabled project-based assessments on learner outcomes in higher education. International Journal of
4. Mobile Learning and Organisation, 17(1-2), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2023.128354
5. Dahya, N. (2017). Critical perspectives on youth digital media production: ‘Voice’ and representation in educational contexts. Learning, Media and Technology, 42(1), 100–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2016.1141785 de Koff, J.P. (2021). Utilizing teaching technologies for higher education in a post-COVID-19 environment. Natural Sciences Education, 50(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20032
6. Dressman, M. (2019). Multimodality and language learning. In M. Dressman, & R. W. Sadler (Eds.), The handbook of informal language learning (pp. 39-55). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119472384.ch3
7. Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (1993). How to design and evaluate research in education (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill.
8. Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (Methodology in the social sciences) (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

9. Jorm, C., Roberts, C., Gordon, C., Nisbet, G., & Roper, L. (2019). Time for university educators to embrace student videography. Cambridge Journal of Education 49(6), 673–693. https://doi:10.1080/0305764X.2019.1590528
10. Meyer, E., & Forester, L. (2015). Implementing student-produced video projects in language courses: Guidelines and lessons learned. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 48(2), 192–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.10195
11. Miller, L., Hafner, C. A., & Fun, C. N. K. (2012). Project-based learning in a technologically enhanced learning environment for second language learners: Students’ perceptions. E-Learning and Digital Media, 9(2), 183–195. https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2012.9.2.183
12. Mohamed, K. A., Mohd Zaid, N., Ibrahim, N. H., Abdullah, A. H., Surif, J., & Hussin, A. J. (2021). The use of video project assignment (VPA) to enhance students’ achievement in communicative English subject. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 16(23), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i23.27447
13. Namin, A., Ketron, S. C., Kaltcheva, V. D., & Winsor, R. D. (2021). Improving student presentation skills using asynchronous video-based projects. Journal of Management Education, 45(6), 987–1010. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562920978805
14. Nanni, A. & Pusey, K. (2020). Leveraging students’ digital literacy through project-based learning. The Asian EFL Journal, 24(1), 141-164.
15. Park, H. & Hiver, P. (2017). Profiling and tracing motivational change in project-based L2 learning. System, 67, 50-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.04.013
16. Parker, J. L. (2020). Students’ attitudes toward project-based learning in an intermediate Spanish course. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 12(1), 80-97.
17. Perez, C. (2010). Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 34(1), 185–202. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24232030
18. Petersen, C. & Nassaji, H. (2016). Project-based learning through the eyes of teachers and students in adult ESL classrooms. Canadian Modern Language Review, 72(1), 13-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2096
19. Shih, W.-L. & Tsai, C.-Y. (2017). Students’ perception of a flipped classroom approach to facilitating online project-based learning in marketing research courses. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(5), 32-49. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2884
20. Shin, M.-H. (2018). Effects of project-based learning on students’ motivation and self-efficacy. English Teaching, 73(1), 95–114. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.73.1.201803.95
21. Simpson, J. (2011). Integrating project-based learning in an English language tourism classroom in a Thai University [Doctoral dissertation, Australian Catholic University]. https://doi.org/10.4226/66/5a961e4ec686b
22. Souzandehfar, M., Saadat, M., & Sahragard, R. (2014). The significance of multimodality/multiliteracies in Iranian EFL learners’ meaning-making process. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17(2), 115–143.
23. Taylor, S. A., Hunter, G. L., Melton, H., & Goodwin, S. A. (2011). Student engagement and marketing classes. Journal of Marketing Education, 33(1), 73-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475310392542
24. Ting, N. C. (2013). Classroom video project: An investigation on students’ perception. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90, 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.113
25. Yeh, H.-C., Heng, L., & Tseng, S-S. (2021). Exploring the impact of video making on students’ writing skills. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 53(4), 446-456. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1795955
26. Zacharis, N. Z. (2010). Innovative assessment for learning enhancement: Issues and practices. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(1), 61-70.