The Impact of Social Networking on the Oral Performance of EFL Learners

Masoud Qarajeh, Seyed Jalal Abdolmanafi-Rokni

Abstract


The present study was set out to investigate the effect of social hubs on improving EFL learners' speaking skill. The participants of the study were 38 female and 26 male students between the age of 19 and 29. They were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. Each group consisted of 32 participants. A language proficiency test and the pre-test were administered to both groups at the beginning of the study. The treatment lasted three months and it was held in a state university in Gonbad, Iran. The experimental group was allowed and encouraged to use social hubs in addition to the traditional class activities. Further, a course of communication on social networks was administered to the experimental group while the control group attended the traditional regular classes and they were not allowed to use computers for communication. In the end, the post-test was administered to both groups. The findings displayed that social networking had a positive impact on speaking ability of Iranian EFL students.

Keywords: Speaking ability, Social hubs, Social Networking Service, EFL Learners


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