The Role of Online Internet-Cam Chat in Providing EFL Freshmen's With Opportunities to Interact With the Target-Language Community as an Authentic Environment to Develop Communicative Language Skills

Abstract

The present study attempted to investigate the effect of Internet-Cam chat as one of the most effective tools of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), and measuring its effect on communicative language skills of the EFL learners. It basically focused on using Internet-Cam chat as  authentic materials and real-life situations. To achieve the purpose of this study, 42 participants out of 114 undergraduate EFL learners who registered for a Conversational Skills Course at Al-alBayt University during the first semester of the  academic year 2015/2016 were randomly selected and divided into two groups: Group one consisted of (22) students, which was assigned  as an experimental group, and group two consisted of (20) students, which was assigned as a control group . The participants were given 24 sessions of instruction on the language skills elicited from the textbook. Then they sat for post-test at the end of experiment period. The instrument of the study was based on the   achievement test. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyze data and to evaluate any possible difference or any statistically differences between scores for the pre/post-test between the two groups in order to answer and accomplish the questions and objectives of the study. Mean scores, standard deviations, and significance levels were  conducted to assess the effect of using Internet-Cam chat on EFL learners? communicative language skills. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in whole communicative language skills of the EFL students. The results of the post-test based on the findings of t-test showed  that the experimental group performed better that the control group in the communicative language skills of language. This might be attributed to  the new method of teaching that is Internet-Cam chat  through which the experimental groups' students interacted a lot with native speakers of English.  In other words, the findings of the study revealed that the experimental group students have developed their language skills. In the light of the findings of the study, the researcher recommended to use all CALL applications in general and online-cam chat in particular  in educational operations to develop EFL learners' communication skills. The researcher recommended  researchers also to use other applications of CALL and make other studies with different variables and large samples to develop other skills which are not investigated yet.