The Efficacy of Cambridge Unlock Videos in Enhancing EFL Students’ Writing Skills: An Experimental Study at a Saudi University

Abstract

Technology has brought forth a rapid evolution in education, specifically in language teaching and learning. Integrating audio-visual aids in English as a Foreign Language classes (EFL) has been a common pedagogical practice that embalms students’ centeredness, autonomy, interaction, and connectivity in EFL classroom. Many studies hitherto have investigated the importance of visual aids in enhancing different reading, listening, speaking and vocabulary skills in different settings, but no study has concentrated on the effectiveness of videos in enhancing writing skills in the Saudi Arabian context. This study is an experimental investigation of the utility of using Cambridge Unlock Discovery Education videos in teaching Intensive English Course (Njl-019) at the English Language Center (ELC), King Khalid University (KKU). It aims at demonstrating the effectivity of authentic videos in enhancing undergraduate female students’ writing skills. The study adopts quasi-experimental methodology, with 35 preparatory-year students as an experimental group and 35 students as a control group. The experimental group is instructed to write a paragraph after watching Discovery Education video, while the control group is asked to write the same paragraph without watching the video. The research tools are students’ writing samples, students and teachers’ questionnaires. The data is analyzed using SPSS program. The main finding of the study is that watching videos related to a topic aids furnishing students with ideas, vocabulary, grammatical structures and boost their inspiration and critical abilities, which consequently lead to better writing performances. Based on the findings, the study concludes offering some implications for EFL teachers for better deployment of visual aids in their classrooms.