UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

THE USE OF VIDEO-BASED BLOGS TO ENHANCE ESL STUDENTS’ ORAL

PRESENTATION SKILLS

SAFRA LIYANA BINTI SUKIMAN

M. Ed (TESL)

February 2016

ii

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

THE USE OF VIDEO-BASED BLOGS TO ENHANCE ESL STUDENTS’ ORAL

PRESENTATION SKILLS

SAFRA LIYANA BINTI SUKIMAN

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Education (TESL)

Faculty of Education

February 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All my gratitude and praise are attributed to the Almighty Allah, for enabling me to complete this work. Indeed, the most exciting roller coaster ride cannot compare to the long and winding road of my graduate studies and dissertation. Throughout this journey, I have gained humility, knowledge, wisdom and intense appreciation for those who have contributed to my endeavours and success.

I wish to thank my highly esteemed supervisor, Dr Jamiah Baba, for her

patience in helping me with the dissertation process. Always with an open door and an open mind, Dr Jamiah, undoubtedly a creative genius, has provided constant guidance and encouragement, invaluable advice and suggestions, sprinkling humour throughout and refusing to let me whine about things when the going was tough. Her meticulous works and expectations have heightened my awareness and critical thinking skills throughout the entire dissertation work. Thank you, Dr Jamie. It has been an honour to work with you.

I am grateful too, to all my lecturers at the Faculty of Education, Universiti

Teknologi MARA whose teaching has enlightened and enriched me. I am forever indebted to the instructors and students of Effective

Communication course, Semester 2, Academic Session 2014/2015 for their cooperation in this study.

I also appreciate the scholarship funds provided by the Ministry of Education

and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. I extend a special note of appreciation to my beloved parents: Abah and Mama

for their endless dua’, constant encouragement and patience throughout my years of study. I value my dear close family and friends who have walked through this winding road with me, especially Angah, Acik, Adik, Nuri, Hazila and Hani. Their continuous love and support, showed in many forms, will always hold a special place in my heart.

Finally, I thank my loving Bubu, for providing me with endless words of

support and sacrifice when I was chasing deadlines. Without him, manoeuvring this road would have been more challenging. It is truly the journey that counts, but it is ever exhilarating to see the finishing line!

Verily, with every hardship, there is ease (Quran 94:6).

Alhamdulillah.

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To my dearest Abang, I dedicated this study to you. My memory of you is what moved

me to put my best efforts in completing this task.

I miss you.

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ABSTRACT

The study aimed to examine the use of video-based blogs in enhancing students’ oral presentation skills in an Effective Communication course. Specifically, it explored how video-based blogs are used to enhance students’ oral presentation skills, students’ views on the use of video-based blogs in enhancing oral presentation skills and the influence of video-based blogs on students’ oral presentation skills. Fifteen undergraduate students from various engineering faculties in one public technical university were selected to participate in the study via purposive sampling. This study adopted a qualitative research approach. The data were gathered from four different data sources, (a) video-based blogs, (b) reflective journal, (c) video-recorded speeches, and (d) oral presentation scoring rubric. In this study, the video-based blogs were used repeatedly throughout the three stages of the video-based blog activities to produce an oral presentation of the same topic. The repetition is necessary in order to give ESL students ample oral practice for continuous improvement. With the repeated oral practice, students can improve their oral presentation skills. However, the use of video-based blogs should fulfil three criteria namely (a) proper planning and time management, (b) assessment of oral presentation has to be evaluated using a scoring rubric and (c) feedback has to be useful and timely. Nonetheless, challenges that compromise the effectiveness of video-based blogs such as access to the Internet connection, affective interferences, availability of recording venue, recording tools and computer software, students’ technical capability as well as weak link to real-time communication should be addressed by the language instructors before the execution of video-based blogs activities. The findings of the study also revealed that the students reacted positively to the use of video-based blogs in enhancing oral presentation skills and video-based blogs have positive influence on the students’ oral presentation skills, especially in the areas of verbal skills, non-verbal skills and content.

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ABSTRAK

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji penggunaan blog berasaskan video dalam meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan pelajar di dalam kursus Effective Communication. Tiga aspek yang dikaji dalam kajian ini adalah bagaimana blog berasaskan video digunakan untuk membantu meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan pelajar, pandangan pelajar mengenai penggunaan blog berasaskan video dalam meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan dan pengaruh blog berasaskan video terhadap kemahiran pembentangan lisan pelajar. Lima belas pelajar kejuruteraan dari sebuah universiti teknikal awam dipilih sebagai peserta kajian melalui teknik persempelan bertujuan. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan penyelidikan kualitatif. Data dikumpul dari empat sumber yang berbeza, (a) blog berasaskan video, (b) jurnal reflektif, (c) ucapan rakaman video dan (d) pemarkahan rubrik. Dalam kajian ini, blog berasaskan video digunakan berulang kali pada tiga peringkat bagi menghasilkan pembentangan lisan menggunakan topik yang sama. Pengulangan adalah perlu bagi memberikan latihan pembentangan lisan yang mencukupi kepada pelajar ESL. Melalui latihan yang berulang, pelajar dapat meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan mereka. Walaubagaimanapun, penggunaan blog berasaskan video perlu memenuhi tiga kriteria iaitu (a) perancangan dan pengurusan masa yang berkesan, (b) penilaian pembentangan lisan menggunakan rubrik pemarkahan dan (c) maklum balas yang diberi hendaklah berguna dan tepat pada waktunya. Selain itu, cabaran seperti akses Internet, faktor afektif, kemudahan tempat rakaman, alat rakaman dan perisian komputer, kebolehupayaan teknikal pelajar dan juga kelemahan komunikasi masa nyata harus ditangani terlebih dahulu oleh pendidik sebelum pelaksanaan aktiviti blog berasaskan video. Hasil kajian turut menunjukkan bahawa pelajar memberikan maklum balas positif terhadap penggunaan blog berasaskan video dalam meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan mereka dan blog berasaskan video mempunyai pengaruh positif dalam meningkatkan kemahiran pembentangan lisan pelajar, terutamanya dari aspek kemahiran verbal, non-verbal dan isi kandungan.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

DEDICATION v

ABSTRACT vi

ABSTRAK vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS viii

LIST OF TABLES xii

LIST OF FIGURES xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiv

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background of the Study 2

1.2 Statement of the Problem 5

1.3 Research Objective 8

1.4 Research Questions 8

1.5 Significance of the Study 8

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study 9

1.7 Definitions of Terms 10

1.7.1 Video-Based Blogs 10

1.7.2 ESL Students 10

1.7.3 Oral Presentation Skills 11

1.8 Conclusion 12

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction 13

2.1 Oral Presentation Activities 13

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2.1.1 Definition Of Oral Presentation 14

2.1.2 Elements Of Oral Presentation Skills 14

2.1.3 Advantages Of Oral Presentation 17

2.1.4 Oral Presentation Activities in Language Learning 19

2.1.5 Issues of Oral Presentation Activities in Language

Classroom

20

2.2 Blogs in Language Learning 24

2.2.1 Text-Based Blogs and Language Learning 26

2.2.2 Audio-Blogs and Language Learning 29

2.2.3 Video-Based Blogs and Language Learning 31

2.2.3.1 Video Recordings in Language Learning 34

2.3 Conceptual Framework 39

2.4 Conclusion 43

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction 44

3.1 Research Design 44

3.2 Population and Sampling 46

3.3 Preliminary Investigation 47

3.4 Research Instruments 49

3.4.1 Participants’ Video-Based Blogs and Video-Recorded Speeches 49

3.4.2 Oral Presentation Scoring Rubric 51

3.4.3 Reflective Journal 53

3.5 Data Collection Procedures 54

3.6 Data Analysis 57

3.6.1 Participants’ Video-Based Blogs and Video-Recorded Speeches 57

3.6.2 Oral Presentation Scoring Rubric 58

3.6.3 Reflective Journal 58

3.7 Conclusion 59

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CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

4.0 Introduction 60

4.1 Findings of Video-Based Blogs 60

4.2 Findings of the Reflective Journal 71

4.2.1 Preference of Video-Recorded Speech 72

4.2.2 Views on the Aspects of Oral Presentation Skills that

Went Well in Oral Presentations

72

4.2.3 Positive Features of Video-Based Blogs 73

4.2.4 Challenges in Dealing with Video-Based Blogs 80

4.3 Findings of the Video-Recorded Speeches 84

4.4 Findings of the Oral Presentation Scoring Rubric 94

4.4.1 Total Scores Obtained by Participants in Oral Presentation Skills 95

4.4.2 Total Scores Obtained by Participants in Verbal Skills 98

4.4.3 Total Scores Obtained by Participants in Non-Verbal Skills 100

4.4.4 Total Scores Obtained by Participants in Content 103

4.5 Conclusion 105

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION

5.0 Introduction 107

5.1 Summary of Key Findings 107

5.1.1 Using Video-Based Blogs in Enhancing Oral Presentation Skills 108

5.1.2 Students’ Views on the Use of Video-Based Blogs in Enhancing

Oral Presentation Skills

111

5.1.3 The Influence of Video-Based Blogs on Students’ Oral

Presentation Skills

116

5.2 Discussion of Key Findings 119

5.2.1 Using Video-Based Blogs in Enhancing Oral Presentation Skills 119

5.2.2 Students’ Views on the Use of Video-Based Blogs in Enhancing

Oral Presentation Skills

122

5.2.3 The Influence of Video-Based Blogs on Students’ Oral

Presentation Skills

126

5.3 Answering the Research Questions 128

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5.4 Implications of the Study 131

5.5 Recommendations for Further Research 133

5.6 Conclusion 135

REFERENCES 137

APPENDICES 146

Appendix A: Oral Presentation Scoring Rubric 147

Appendix B: Reflective Journal 148

Appendix C: Total Score of Participants’ Oral Presentation Skills 149

Appendix D: Total Score of Participants’ Verbal Skills 150

Appendix E: Total Score of Participants’ Non-Verbal Skills 151

Appendix F: Total Score of Participants’ Content 152

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables Title Page

Table 1 Summary of Actual Procedures of Video-Based Blog Activities

(Stage 1-3) and the Findings of the Video-Based Blogs

63

Table 2 Summary of Participants’ Video-Recorded Speech (Stage 1-3) and

Their Progress in Oral Presentation Skills

85

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figures Title Page

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework 39

Figure 2 Summary of Data Collection Procedures 56

Figure 3 A Participant’s Video-Based Blogs (P10-M) 62

Figure 4 Screenshot of Feedback Received by P10-M 69

Figure 5 A Participant’s Reflective Journal (P14-F) 71

Figure 6 Total Score of Each Participant in Oral Presentation Skills 95

Figure 7 Mean Scores Achieved by the Participants in Oral Presentation

Skills

97

Figure 8 Total Score of Each Participant in Verbal Skills 98

Figure 9 Mean Scores Achieved by the Participants in Verbal Skills 99

Figure 10 Total Score of Each Participants in Non-Verbal Skills 101

Figure 11 Mean Scores Achieved by the Participants in Non-Verbal Skills 102

Figure 12 Total Score of Each Participant in Content 103

Figure 13 Mean Scores Achieved by the Participants in Content 105

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LIST OF ABBREVIATION

Abbreviations

DSLR Digital Single-Lens Reflect Camera

ESL English as a Second Language

Vlog A blog that contains video as its primary content

Whats App Cross-platform messaging application for smartphones

GST Goods and Service Tax

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Oral presentation skills are part of the repertoire of communication skills that

are seen as vital for students to master, as without effective communication skills, one

could find it difficult to be hired for jobs or survive in the profession later (Pathan,

2013; Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; Kakepoto, Habil, Mohd Omar & Said, 2012; Ziegler,

2007; King, 2002). In Malaysia, studies have showed high graduate unemployment

occurs when many graduates are incompetent in their oral communication skills such

as oral presentation skills (Juhary, 2014; Kakepoto et al., 2012; Omar, Manaf, Mohd,

Che Kassim & Abd. Aziz, 2012; Azian & Mun, 2012; Rahmah, Ishak & Wei Seing,

2011; Rasul, Ismail, Ismail, Rajuddin & Rauf, 2010; Singh & Singh, 2008).

According to Wong (2011), as cited in Islam, Abd Hamid and Abd Manaf (2011), the

number of unemployed graduates in Malaysian was 60,000 in 2009. The

unemployment rate warrants attention when the statistics has indicated that 30,000

graduates remained jobless six months after their graduation (Mohd Salleh, 2011).

This is due to the fact that oral presentation occupies a central position in the

workplace in a lot of industries and jobs (Omar et al., 2012; Kakepoto et al., 2012)

where employees are most often required to present proposals, product or project,

deliver progress-report of on-going investigations or final outcomes of projects,

explain product descriptions to vendors and conduct oral briefings (Indra Devi, Amir

& Krish, 2014). As a result, in order to ensure the sustainability of the organisation,

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employers and corporate recruiters nowadays have unprecedented demands for well-

rounded graduates who are equipped with good academic achievement and excellent

oral communication and presentation skills in English (Indra Devi, Amir & Krish,

2014; Tajizan, Ab Rahim, Abdul Halim, Abdullah, Ismail & Cochrane, 2012; Omar et

al., 2012; Singh & Singh, 2008).

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In tertiary education, oral presentations have become important and remained

as a “frequent, highly routinised part of classroom life” (Morita, 2000) all over the

world (Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; Campbell, Mothersbaugh, Brammer & Taylor, 2001). It

is a common practice for the instructors to conduct live oral presentations in front of

the class as a means to teach oral presentation skills in the ESL classrooms

(Hinkelman, Rian & McGarthy, 2011; Kim, 2006; King, 2002; Ferris, 1998).

According to King (2002), oral presentations hold the virtues of promoting

communicative competence, help learners to collect, inquire, organise and construct

information as well as assist them to be active and autonomous learners.

However, despite the fact that oral presentation activities are deemed to be

valuable, evidences from various literature had annotated that oral presentation

activity remained the least anticipated activity during the lesson when students

experienced most difficulty in their oral presentations (King, 2002; Ferris, 1998). This

is due to the fact that most students ranked oral presentation as the most feared and

daunting language activity in an anxiety-provoked situation (Guo, 2013; McNulty &

Lazarevic, 2012; Mak, 2011; King, 2002). Asian students who are silent and reticent

in class (Kim, 2006), in particular perceived oral presentation as a face-threatening

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activity when it contradicts their culture of protecting one’s face (Tajizan et al., 2012)

and is the common practice of teacher-centered activities in the classroom (King,

2002). The fear of speaking in public, conducting mistakes, being ridiculed by others,

having low confidence together with the lack of English language proficiency

eventually lead the students to be trapped in an anxiety-provoked situation (Guo,

2013; Tajizan et al., 2012; Yamkate & Intratat, 2012; Mohd Radzuan & Kaur, 2011;

Mak, 2011).

Due to these overwhelming challenges, the students are found to be tongue-

tied and jittery when they are asked to deliver an oral presentation in front of their

peers (Guo, 2013; Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; Rajoo, 2010). King (2002) further mentioned

that under these stressful situations, most students just try to get through the ordeal

without having the intention to improve their oral presentation skills. ESL students,

especially those who are less fluent in English tend to restrict the spontaneous

elements in their speech and narrate their oral presentation based on their memory of a

written text. This situation is most typical among Malaysian tertiary students (Alwi &

Sidhu, 2013), which resulted in their mastery of oral presentation skills and

performance to be deteriorated (Tajizan et al., 2012; Kakepoto et al., 2010) when

effective presentation was affected by their poor oral presentation skills (Cochrane &

O’Donoghue, 2008; King, 2002).

Aside from that, several issues are raised with regards to the implementation of

oral presentation activity in ESL classroom. The first issue is the meaningfulness of

the activity to the learners. Most of the time, instructors observe and evaluate the

presentation and learners wait for their turns and receive their grades at the end of the

activity (Hinkelman, Rian & McGarty, 2012). This practice might work for the self-

motivated students but ineffective for those who lack self-motivation. According to

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Hinkelman, Rian and McGarty (2012), students with low self-motivation have less

engagement in the activity, invest minimal effort in their oral presentation or are

absent from their classroom.

The second issue is the practicality of the activity. The implementation of the

activity can be time-consuming for a large class (Hinkelman, Rian & McGarthy,

2012; Tajizan et al., 2012; Cochrane & O’Donoghue, 2008). Due to the time

constraint, instructors are more concerned with completing the syllabus rather than

addressing the students’ needs. The opportunities for instructors to provide

individualised feedback are also limited when facility and logistic constraints exist

(Yang & Scharff, 2013; Tajizan et al., 2012; Christianson, Hoskins & Watanabe,

2010; Cochrane & O’Donoghue, 2008). Not only that, providing timely feedback

during the activity is a challenge as it interrupts and demotivates the students when it

is given on the spot.

The third issue highlighted is the evaluation of the activity. Assessing oral

presentation activity is a challenge when the judgment can be subjective without any

concrete evidence (Yang & Scharff, 2013; Yamkate & Intratat, 2012; Christianson,

Hoskins & Watanabe, 2010). It is difficult for instructors to identify and evaluate the

students’ presentation mistakes entirely (Tsutsui & Kato, 2001) and students fail to

acknowledge their speech problems or mistakes in their presentation (Guo, 2013)

when there is no tangible artefact for the students to review it (Yang & Scharff, 2013).

Therefore, there is a need to conduct a study in identifying a suitable method

that creates less threatening environment for the students to practise and improve their

oral presentation skills, reduce the time constraints faced by the instructor in providing

ample scaffolding and individualised feedback as well as to overcome the challenges

in assessing oral presentation activities. Hence, one of the techniques to incorporate

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the solutions to these oral presentation issues is by using video-based blogs as a

pedagogical tool to enhance students’ oral presentation skills in ESL classroom.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The Web 2.0 technologies have brought new lights in teaching and learning.

With the advancement of technology, Internet blog has gained its popularity in the

educational realm when it is extensively used in the context of English language

learning (Noytim, 2010). As cited by Shih (2010), blogs have emerged as a new

medium of communication and publication in ESL classroom. This is due to the fact

that blogs have become a popular method for writing instructors to share, store and

display students’ composition efforts digitally (Watkins, 2012; Abu Bakar, Latif &

Ya’acob, 2010; Noytim, 2010) or remained as an avenue for instructors to encourage

students’ collaboration in a digital format (Gadera, 2012; Amir, Ismail & Hussin,

2011). Vlog, on the other hand, is the portmanteau word for video and blog (Watkins,

2012). According to Gao, Tian and Huang (2010), vlog is a form of blogging that uses

video as its primary content. While blogs are deemed to be useful tool for a writing

class, vlogs or video-based blogs are similarly useful for oral communication class

(Balakrishnan & Puteh, 2014; Watkins, 2012; Shih, 2010).

There are various reasons why video-based blog is appropriate for oral

communication class, especially in ESL classroom. One of the significant reasons is

vlogging activities help students to increase their talking time when their speaking

opportunities are no longer confined in the classroom in the traditional way (Watkins,

2012; Shih, 2010). Since learning is extended virtually, students can control their own

learning pace and engage more frequently in oral presentations activities in order to

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improve their confidence and mastery in oral presentation skills. In addition, vlogging

encourages self-monitored speaking among the second language students (Watkins,

2012; Hung, 2011; Shih, 2010). This is because the use of video-based blog provides

students with a record of their own speaking performance which they are able to view,

analyse, evaluate and improvise before publishing it virtually. Furthermore, video-

based blog activities afford the learners to obtain immediate and timely feedback

when video-based blog is used to facilitate the development of oral presentation skills

(Balakrishnan & Puteh, 2014; Watkins, 2012; Hung, 2011; Shih, 2010). Video-based

blogs could provide specific, targeted guidance that support learners’ development of

oral presentation skills when corrective feedback is given by their instructor and peers

virtually. Hence, this approach is less daunting as compared to receiving in-class

feedback when the learners can review it at their convenient time.

Previous literature has indicated the use of video-based blog can improve oral

communication skills among second language learners. Shih’s (2010) research in

Taiwan has found that using video-based blog to learn public speaking has helped the

second language learners to overcome stage fright. In the study, the participants

mentioned that being able to obtain unlimited opportunities to revise self-created

videos have helped them to provide and accept peer-feedback. Such review and

cooperative learning have enhanced their motivation and eventually helped them to

improve their public speaking when the blogging technology allowed them to see their

own performances, recognise their own oral skill, posture, gestures and facial

expressions as well as improve their weakness by watching their recorded presentation

repeatedly (Shih, 2010). Similar findings were found in the Malaysian context when

Balakrishnan and Puteh’s (2014) study revealed that the incorporation of video-based

blog in blended learning is effective in helping and developing ESL learners’ public

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speaking skills. In addition, Hung’s (2011) study on the pedagogical implications of

video-based blogs in an English for Specific Purpose course revealed that the learners

perceived the use of video-based blogs does facilitate their speaking development in

the targeted course.

However, even though it is clearly illustrated that video-based blogs do

facilitate students’ oral development in language learning, due to the inherent

challenges of video blogging (Becvar, 2007), most instructors refuse to utilise video-

based blogs to improve learners’ oral presentation skills because the use of video

recordings, blogs and the Internet becomes a daunting prospect for instructors who are

not familiar with the technology (Watkins, 2012). The notion of setting up recording

equipments, saving the recorded video, converting it into a readable format on the

computer before finding a suitable platform to host the footage before embedding it

into the video-based blog might be too overwhelming for the students and instructors.

Additionally, even if the technology, unlimited access to the Internet and skills are

present, v-logging feedback is considered too time consuming as is not feasible for a

large classroom size (Watkins, 2012).

Therefore, in the light of these reasons and coupled with the aforementioned

virtues of video-based blogs, this study is set out to examine the use of video-based

blogs in enhancing ESL students’ oral presentation skills. Since there is little

empirical evidence hitherto has been made in relation to video-based blogs and oral

presentations, this study intends to explore the use of video-based blogs in enhancing

students’ oral presentation skills, students’ views on the use of video-based blogs in

enhancing their oral presentation skills as well as to determine the extent to which the

use of video-based blogs influences students’ oral presentation skills.

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1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

This study is outlined based on the following objective:

1. To examine the use of video-based blogs in enhancing students’ oral

presentation skills.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to achieve the objective of the study, the following research questions

are identified:

1. How are video-based blogs used to enhance students’ oral presentation skills?

2. What are students’ views on the use of video-based blogs in enhancing oral

presentation skills?

3. To what extent does the use of video-based blogs influence students’ oral

presentation skills?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

By attempting to examine the use of video-based blogs in enhancing oral

presentation skills, it is hoped that this study will offer meaningful insights to

academics on the use of video-based blogs in improving students’ oral presentation

skills in ESL classroom. Not only that, the findings of this study have useful

implications for teaching oral presentations as the insights can be used to help

academics to prepare suitable teaching activities and materials that could enhance

students’ oral presentation skills. In addition, since teaching and learning is no longer

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constrained in the classroom setting, it is hoped that this study will provide students

with adequate scaffolding to acquire and improve their oral presentation skills more

effectively with the use of video-based blogs.

Furthermore, the findings of the study can help higher institutions to improve

curriculum and balance their course instructions as well as class activities that are in

accordance with the current market requirements when the most sought after skills are

effective communication skills. Finally, since there has been a dearth on empirical

research on the use of video-based blogs in enhancing students’ oral presentation

skills, it is hoped that this study will add to the body of knowledge and become a

guide for future researchers who might want to embark their research in a similar

field.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Due to the accessibility of data, the sampling of the study is confined to a

purposive selection of fifteen undergraduate engineering students who are taking an

Effective Communication course in one public technical university in southern

Malaysia. Therefore, the findings of this study could not be generalised to the overall

population of engineering students who are taking the course in other tertiary

institutions due to the difference in the syllabus.

In addition, since the study focused on investigating the use of video-based

blogs in enhancing students’ oral presentation skills, the study is only confined to

determine how video-based blogs are used to enhance ESL students’ oral presentation

skills, the students’ views on the use of video-based in enhancing their oral

presentation skills and to determine the extent to which the use of video-based blogs

10

influences students’ oral presentation skills in language learning based on Guo’s

(2013) identified criteria of oral presentation skills. Another limitation is since the

duration of the study is limited to an interval of one semester (14 weeks), the

conclusions obtained can be considered only as a pioneer research, and thus further

studies are needed in order to yield comprehensive findings.

1.7 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

The following definitions of terms are used in this study:

1.7.1 Video-Based Blogs

Video-based blog is a blog that contains a video content (Balakrishnan &

Puteh, 2014; Watkins, 2012; Hung, 2011; Shih, 2010). Just like the normal blog, the

uploaded video in the blog is visible to the public and viewers can rate, comment and

share it. Hence, in this study, video-based blogs are used as a platform for the students

to upload their video-recorded speeches in order to receive online feedback from peers

and instructors on their presentation skills.

1.7.2 ESL Students

ESL students are defined as students who use English as their second language

and have a specific and practical need for English (Oxford University Press ELT,

2011). The students have daily exposure to English-speaking culture even though their

understanding may be limited due to their language skills. Therefore, in this study,

11

ESL students refer to undergraduate students from various engineering faculties in one

public technical university in southern Malaysia.

1.7.3 Oral Presentation Skills

Oral presentations are common in the academia world as they pose

significant benefits in the academic settings. As cited in literature (Mohd Radzuan &

Kaur, 2011; Irvine, 2009), oral presentation is defined by Levin and Topping (2009)

as “a planned and rehearsed talk or speech that is not committed to memory or read

directly from script, given by a presenter (sometimes more than one) to an audience

or two or more people”. Another prominent definition of oral presentation is by Refe

(1990), as cited in Hamm (2006), who posits that presentation generally involved a

speaker and listener (or known as audience), where the speaker intends to motivate

the audience to accept a new idea, alter an existing opinion or act on a given

premise. Thus, in this study, the scope of oral presentation skills is confined to

Guo’s (2013) identified criteria of presentation skills namely (a) verbal skills:

volume, speed, intonation, articulation and enunciation, (b) non-verbal skills:

appearance, facial expression, body language, gestures and eye contact, and (c)

content: introduction of topic, organisation of idea, supporting evidence, summary

or conclusion and evidence of preparation (refer to Appendix A: Oral Presentation

Scoring Rubric).

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1.8 CONCLUSION

To summarise, this chapter has outlined the introduction, background of the

study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research question, significance

of the study, scope and limitations of the study as well as definitions of terms. In the

subsequent chapters, Chapter Two highlights the literature related to the area of study,

Chapter Three focuses on the research methodology, Chapter Four outlines the data

analysis and findings of the study and finally, Chapter Five presents the discussions

and conclusion.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the literature review of the present study. It highlights

the overview of oral presentation activities, namely the definition of oral presentation,

elements of oral presentation skills, advantages of oral presentation, oral presentation

activities in language learning and issues concerning oral presentation activities in

language classroom. In addition, notable findings pertaining blogs in language

learning, namely text-based blogs and language learning, audio-blogs and language

learning, video-based blogs and language learning, video recordings in language

learning as well as the conceptual framework of the study are also discussed in this

chapter.

2.1 ORAL PRESENTATION ACTIVITIES

This section highlights the literature review of oral presentation activities

related to the area of study. The following sub-topics presented in this section are

definition of oral presentation skills, elements of oral presentation skills, advantages

of oral presentation, oral presentation activities in language learning and issues of

oral presentation activities in language classroom.

14

2.1.1 Definition of Oral Presentation

Oral presentation is one of the common methods of oral evaluation in the

academia world, especially in language learning (Hinkelman & McGarthy, 2012). It

is a significant academic oral activity that university students engaged in, especially

in ESL classroom (Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; Tajizan et al., 2012; Mohd Radzuan &

Sidhu, 2011). According to Levin and Topping (2009), as cited in literature (Mohd

Radzuan & Sidhu, 2011; Irvine, 2009), oral presentation is defined as “a planned and

rehearsed talk or speech that is not committed to memory or read directly from script,

given by a presenter (sometimes more than one) to an audience or two or more

people”. Refe (1990), as cited in Hamm (2006), posits that a presentation has a

persuasive aspect as it involves with motivating the audience in order to accept a new

idea, alter an existing opinion or act on a given premise. Hence, oral presentations,

which are apart of oral communication skills, have acquired significant position in

tertiary education (Kakepoto et. al., 2012) as they are recognised and emphasised in

various major educational disciplines (Mohd Radzuan & Sidhu, 2011; Rajoo, 2010;

Degrez, Valacke & Roozen, 2009).

2.1.2 Elements of Oral Presentation Skills

Cavanagh, Bower, Moloney and Sweller (2014) categorised oral presentation

skills into two broad categories, namely Modes of Communication and Constructed

Impressions. There are five variables in Modes of Communication, namely (a) body

language: centered, open body posture, upright, shoulders back, head up, utilising

hand or arm gestures to emphasise point or convey meaning, inclusive eye contact,

15

relaxed stance, smooth gesture and warm facial expression, (b) voice: natural,

appropriate volume projection, melodic variety or intonation, clear enunciation and

appropriate pace; (c) words: positive and expressive language, structured, clear

meaning, inclusive, use appropriate register that is relevant to the audience, use

positive humour and strategies such as rhetorical questions to engage audience and

(d) alignment: messages are aligned and there is congruency between body, voice and

words. Constructed Impressions of Communication, on the other hand refers to (a)

confidence: appears relaxed and stable, flexible and presenter’s manners conveys the

necessary knowledge and authority as well as rapport with the audience, (b) clarity:

meanings are easily understood, (c) engagement: presenter shows interest and

enthusiasm and the anticipated audience are likely to be engaged and interested in

presentation, makes a positive impression as well as interacts with the audience and

(d) appropriateness: delivers oral presentation according to the level of the audience

and situation through the use of content and language registers that is suitable to the

audience.

Guo (2013) in her study on the use of video recordings as an effective tool to

improve presentation skills highlighted three aspects of oral presentation skills that is

(a) communication skills that consist of non-verbal skills (appearance, facial

expression, body language, gestures and eye contact) and verbal skills (volume,

speed, intonation, articulation and intonation), (b) content that includes introduction

of topic, organisation of idea, supporting evidence, summary or conclusion as well as

evidence of preparation, (c) integration of technology and (d) engaging the audience.

Yamkate and Intratat (2012), on the other hand, indicated that oral

presentation skills consist of three elements, namely (a) verbal proficiency: grammar,

pronunciation and fluency, (b) body language: eye contact, posture and gesture as

16

well as (c) quality of content: interestingness, relevance, expressions and continuity.

Meanwhile, Chou (2011) emphasised five elements of academic oral presentation

skills that are (a) rhetorical and lexical appropriacy used in oral presentations, (b)

organisation, (c) exposition of professional knowledge, (c) fluency, (d) phonetic and

phonology appropriacy and (e) the language that the learners used in academic

presentation.

Renganathan, Abu Bakar, Chong, Abdullah, Mohamed Noor and Mohd Ali

(2011) purported nine elements of oral presentation skills, namely (a) introduction:

gain attention, justify topic and state purpose, establish credibility, preview the main

points and use suitable formal address, (b) content: use factual evidence and logical

reasoning, appeal to logic, credibility and emotion, cite sources of information for

credibility and use visual aids effectively, (c) organisation: demonstrate effective

organisational pattern and use appropriate as well as varies transitions and transitional

phrases, (d) audience: deliver presentation relevant to audience, audience understands

the topic as well as sustain audience’s interest throughout the presentation, (e)

conclusion: summarise main theme, review main points, reinforce belief or call for

action, deliver presentation within the stipulated time, (f) question and answer: handle

the session well, maintain good relationship with the questioners and refute

effectively if any, (g) delivery: vocal clarity and quality, eye contact, stance and

gestures as well as appearance, and (h) language: use accurate and appropriate

language.

However, since there are various intersected elements of oral presentation

skills defined by various researchers, Guo’s (2013) elements of oral presentation

skills namely (a) verbal skills: volume, speed, intonation, articulation and

enunciation; (b) non-verbal skills: appearance, facial expression, body language,

17

gestures and eye contact; and (c) content: introduction of topic, organization of idea,

supporting evidence, summary or conclusion and evidence of preparation are adapted

in the present study in order to confine the scope of oral presentation skills.

2.1.3 Advantages of Oral Presentation

Numerous researchers have indicated the benefits of using oral presentations

in the classroom. Girard, Pinar and Trapp (2011) found that oral presentations helped

the students to improve their communication and presentation skills and at the same

time, heightened their interests to learn English as it allowed them to interact and

participate more in the classroom. King (2002), on the other hand, purported that oral

presentations can benefit the students by helping them to bridge the gap between

language study and language use.

Apart from that, another benefit of using oral presentations in the language

classroom is the activities itself are student-centered (Al-Issa & Al-Qubtan, 2010;

King 2002). As claimed by Apple and Kikuchi (2007) as well as Al-Issa (2007), oral

presentations enable the students to have both direct control of the content and the

flow of the classroom. This is due to the fact that students are required to use their

four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing skills during

their oral presentation activities (Thornbury, 2005; King, 2002). Hence, students have

to exercise their reading and writing skills to research and write their presentations

whilst presenting in front of the audience requires the students to use spoken English.

Besides that, students have the opportunity to practise their listening skills too when

they exercise their role as the audience to their peers’ presentations.

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Furthermore, oral presentations afford the students with an authentic way of

practising English as compared to speaking drills (Wilson & Brooks, 2014) that have

no relation to real-life language use and poor preparation for students’ autonomy

(Thornbury, 2005). Thus, oral presentations enable the students to use their second

language in a more natural way since they are required to use their English

proficiency to understand the topics that they are presenting and communicate their

understanding to others. Wilson and Brooks (2014) further argued that this method is

closer to real language use as it provides the students with ample opportunities to

develop their research, critical thinking, linguistic and communicative skills.

Hovane (2009) further asserted that oral presentations could motivate the

students to learn English. This is because oral presentations provide the opportunities

for the students to exercise peer teaching and if the activities are properly scaffolded,

the students are able to work independently in order to produce effective oral

presentations. According to Wilson and Brooks (2014), this type of goal-oriented

activities will increase students’ motivation in learning as they are able to witness the

results of their hard work and effort when they manage to deliver their oral

presentations successfully.

Last but not least, oral presentations are useful for the students’ future

(Wilson & Brooks, 2014; Al-Issa & Al-Qubtan, 2010). Various empirical studies

have shown that participating in presentations can benefit the students in their future

employment since the students will be asked to use English in order to deliver their

oral presentations for their future jobs (Živković, 2014; Bruce, 2011). Hence, the

students’ experience in dealing with oral presentations can enhance the students’

employability as many employers place significant importance on future employees’

ability to give formal oral presentations. Pittenger (2004) further stressed that even if

19

the employers are not looking for employees who can deliver their oral presentations

in English, the presentation skills that the students have learnt when they are

presenting in English are transferable for their first language oral presentations.

2.1.4 Oral Presentation Activities in Language Learning

There are three common practices of conducting oral presentation activities in

language learning, especially in ESL classroom. The common activities include live

individual presentation, paired presentation and grouped presentation (Wan

Mustapha, Abdul Ghani, Abu Bakar & Musa, 2011; Chou, 2011; Al-Issa & Al-

Qubtan; 2010; Ferris, 1998). However, the choice of determining the suitable types of

oral presentations very much depends on the size of the class, the topic, the aims and

objectives that the instructor wants to achieve for the lesson. As cited by Al-Issa and

Al-Qubtan (2010), individual oral presentations exercise the learners’ autonomy

whilst paired or grouped presentation instils the value of collaboration, productivity

and teamwork. Schcolnik and Kol (1999) supported this statement by indicating

paired and grouped works can influence students’ social integration and negotiation

of meaning in which it can positively impact the process of language and knowledge

acquisition as well as the quality of language output and spontaneity of speech in an

arranged manner.

Wilson and Brooks (2014), indicated another type of oral presentation activity

that is poster presentation. According to Thornbury (2005), poster presentation refers

to an academic presentation that utilises poster as its main visual aid for presentation.

Most instructors employed poster presentations as part of oral presentation activities

due to several reasons, namely (a) using posters as visual aid helped to reduce

20

students’ anxiety when delivering their presentation; (b) poster presentations allowed

the students to experience high level of interactivity between the audience and

presenter that is not possible in a structured academic presentation; and (c) poster

presentation allowed room for students’ creativity and at the same time, catered to

students’ diverse learning styles (Wilson & Brooks, 2014; Lambert, 2008).

2.1.5 Issues of Oral Presentation Activities in Language Classroom

Oral presentation skills are valuable and considered to be the most significant

component of communication skills that should be acquired by students in language

learning (Kakepoto et. al., 2012). However, even though oral presentation activity is

beneficial for students and oral presentation skills can be best acquired through

practice and feedback obtained during the activity (Tajizan et al., 2012), the activity

remains the least anticipated during the learning of the language. Most students ranked

oral presentation as the most feared and daunting activity in an anxiety-provoked

situation (Wilson & Brooks, 2014; Guo, 2013; Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; McNulty &

Lazarevic, 2012; Tajizan et al., 2012; Mak, 2011; King, 2002; Ferris, 1998). Asian

students, in particular perceived oral presentation as a face threatening activity when it

contradicts with their culture of protecting one’s face (Tajizan et al., 2012; Kim, 2006)

and teacher-centered activities in the classroom (Tajizan et. al. 2012; King, 2002;).

The fear of speaking in public, conducting mistakes, being ridiculed by others,

together with the lack of English language proficiency lead to the emergence of

anxiety later (Tajizan et al., 2012; Yamkate & Intratat, 2012; Guo, 2013; Mak 2011).

Guo (2013) and Tajizan et al. (2012) reported that due to these overwhelming

21

challenges, students are reluctant to participate in the activity, resulting in them not

able to master their oral presentation skills and their performance to be deteriorated.

Kakepoto et al. (2012) further indicated that these particular challenges, if

continue not to be addressed will lead to the significant reasons of graduate

unemployment. Impressive grades are no longer a determiner for employment

nowadays when graduates are sought to possess effective oral communication skills

(Pathan, 2013; Alwi & Sidhu, 2013; Kakepoto et al., 2012; Ziegler, 2007; King,

2002). Tajizan et al. (2012) indicated that the fear of speaking in front of the audience

has become one of the contributing factors why job seekers are rejected and thousands

of employees are declined for job promotions in the United States. This is due to the

fact that the acceptance of a new position often requires an individual to deliver their

speech or presentation in front of their future supervisors or co-workers (Kakepoto et

al., 2012; Krannich, 2004; as cited in Tajizan et al, 2012). The statement is in line with

Juhary (2014), Omar et al. (2012), Kakepoto et al. (2012), Azian and Mun (2011),

Rahmah, Ishak and Wei Seing (2011), Rasul et al. (2010) and Singh and Singh’s

(2008) claims that of the highlighted oral communications skills sought by the

employers is the ability to present ideas and to conduct effective presentation.

According to Yang and Scharff (2013), Hinkelman, Rian and McGarty (2012),

Tajizan et al. (2012), Christianson, Hoskins and Watanabe (2010), Cochrane and

O’Donoghue (2008), Garcia, Marin and Miralles (2008), Tsutsui and Kato (2001),

there are several issues arise in regards with the implementation of oral presentation

activity in language learning. The first issue is the meaningfulness of the activity to

the language learners. Often, educators will observe and evaluate the oral presentation

and learners will wait for their turn and receive their grades at the end of the activity

(Hinkelman, Rian & McGarty, 2012). This practice might be adequate for the self-

22

motivated learners, but remains a major deterrent for learners who lack self-

motivation. Hinkelman, Rian and McGarty (2012) further supported the statement by

indicating that the low-motivated learners are prone to have less engagement in

language learning (Christianson, Hoskins & Watanabe; 2010), will invest minimal

effort during their oral presentation or will play truant in their lesson (Wilson &

Brooks, 2014). Hence, the activity remains meaningless to the learners.

The second issue is the practicality of the activity. Oral presentation activity is

time-consuming with little or no pedagogical values especially for a large class

(Wilson & Brooks, 2014; Hinkelman, Rian & McGarthy, 2012; Tajizan et al., 2012;

Cochrane & O’Donoghue, 2008). Due to time constraint, instructors are more

concerned to complete the syllabus rather than addressing the students’ needs. This

situation is further exemplified in the tertiary engineering classroom when the

engineering faculties heavily emphasise on covering critical technical material in the

curriculum rather than prioritising oral presentation in engineering courses even

though they recognise the necessity of training the students for effective

communication (Indra Devi, Amir & Krish, 2014; Tajizan et al., 2012; Cochrane &

O’Donogue, 2008). Not only that, it is also a common practice for the engineering

students to deliver oral presentations that are mainly focused on the content of the

presentation without being taught on how to present effectively due to the assumption

of they will be trained later in elective courses such as Public Speaking or Effective

Communication. Subsequently, many leave the responsibility to the English and

media department, which results in the input provided in the elective courses to

contradict the oral presentation skills needed for a practicing engineer (Indra Devi,

Amir & Krish, 2014; American Society for Engineering Education, 2012).

23

Although oral presentation skills can best be improved through practice and

feedback obtained during oral presentation activity, the opportunities for instructor to

provide feedback are limited (Wilson & Brooks, 2014). Due to the limited number of

classrooms and the increase number of students per class, instructors do not have the

luxury of time to monitor students’ oral presentation skills individually as well as to

provide guided practice and comprehensive individualised feedbacks for the students

so that they can be competent in their oral presentations (Tajizan et al., 2012; Yang &

Scharff, 2013). Introducing oral presentation activity with an average of 40 students

generates implausible noise that may distract other instructors and students who are

learning nearby. Cochrane (2009) in his study also highlighted a similar issue

experienced by many engineering departments. Due to the massive number of

enrolment, the growing size of engineering classes have impacted students’ ability to

acquire oral presentation skills when students’ speaking time is limited and the lessons

are skewed into a teacher-centered approach (Tajizan et al., 2012; Cochrane &

O’Donoghue, 2008). To aggravate the situation further, due to time constraints and

hindrance of facility, instructors often fail to provide meaningful feedback on the

positive and negative aspects of students’ presentation, thus, impacting the students’

mastery of oral presentation skills (Tajizan et al., 2012; Yang & Schraff, 2011).

The third issue is the evaluation of the activity. Oral presentation activity is

restricted to “on spot and one-chance grading” within several allocated minutes

(Hinkelman, Rian & McGarty, 2012). Assessing oral presentation activity itself is a

challenge when the judgment is subjective without any concrete evidence (Yang &

Scharff, 2013; Christianson, Hoskins & Watanabe, 2010). It is difficult for instructors

to identify and evaluate the students’ presentation mistakes entirely (Tsutsui & Kato,

2001) and students fail to acknowledge their speech problems or mistakes in their

24

presentation (Guo, 2013) when there is no tangible artefact for the students to review

it (Yang & Scharff, 2013; Christianson, Hoskins & Watanabe, 2010). Not only that,

students may perceive the evaluation of the assessment to be invalid, unfair and

unreliable too (Christianson, Hoskins & Watanabe, 2010; Garcia, Marin & Miralles,

2008).

Furthermore, another issue is the timeline of the feedback. As cited by Yang

and Schraff (2013), studies have indicated that students were unable to benefit from

the feedback if it was not given immediately. This is due to the fact that students

failed to relate the received feedback with the mistakes of their presentation if they

could not remember it afterwards (Tsutsui & Kato, 2001). The tendency for the

students to disregard the feedback is high when they perceived it as no longer

relevant. In addition, providing timely feedback during the activity will only interrupt

and demotivate the students, and not to mention, it is time-consuming too.

Thus, the above-mentioned issues highlighted in the previous studies are taken

into consideration when dealing with oral presentation activities in this study.

2.2 BLOGS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Second language learning has experienced a paradigm shift from a cognitive

oriented learning to a social oriented learning nowadays (Wang & Vasquez, 2012;

Abu Bakar, Latif & Ya’acob, 2010). This is due to the fact that millions of Netizens

today are allured with Web 2.0 technologies to interact, collaborate, connect and

entertain themselves through blogs, wikis and social networking tools for an instant

self-publishing and live online interaction (Wang & Vasquez, 2012; Dyment,

O’Connel & Boyle, 2011; Warschauer & Grimes, 2007). There is no acceptance for

137

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