EFL context

This research investigated the impact of varying planning conditions and task types on the accuracy of pupils' speaking abilities. Utilizing the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), 80 intermediate female participants nominated for the research and assigned to four untouched classes. These classes were planned as the individual-planning personal task class (IPPT class), the individual-planning decision-making task class (IPDT class), the class-planning personal task class (CPPT class), and the class-planning decision-making task class (CPDT class). Two concurrent decision making tasks were planned to be conducted both at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, while a six-week intervention was scheduled in between. Three sessions were dedicated to administering the OPT test, the pretest, and the posttest; and the students accomplished two dissimilar task types under two diverse planning situations throughout the other three treatment meetings. The results from the one-way ANOVA discovered that pre-task planning conditions and task types significantly influence the accuracy of speaking. These outcomes reinforce the notion that planning conditions have meaningful results on pupils' accomplishment in personal and decision-making tasks. Consequently, both planning conditions proved real in enhancing students' performance in speaking tasks. It is suggested that educators should give considerable attention to pre-task planning to alleviate EFL pupils' challenges in attaining upper ranks of accuracy in their speaking abilities.

Learning a foreign language is a challenging process in which learners need motivation and encouragement through the use of modern techniques. The present paper investigates the effects digital stories may have on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ listening comprehension. To this end, the researchers carried out a quasi-experimental research in a language institution in Tabriz (Iran). In total, forty, 11-14-year-old female students participated in this research. Twenty students were in the experimental group and twenty in the control group. The Preliminary English Test (PET) was administered at the beginning of the study to check whether all participants were homogeneous in terms of English language proficiency. A pre-test of listening comprehension was designed to gather initial data on the learners' listening skill prior to the treatment. The experimental group was presented with digital stories in a technology-equipped classroom. After the treatment, a post-test was administered to both groups to test the learners' progression in listening comprehension. Then, using an ANCOVA test, the performance of two groups was compared.The findings indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the final test. The results raise interesting issues related to the use of technology in the context of foreign language learning, substantiating the link between technology rich environment and improved language learning.