Cultivating Speaking Confidence with Digital Video Composition: Beginner ESL Learners in Workplace Context

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 3
  In Invited Roundtable: English Language Learner Experiences: State Policy, Student Performance, and Digital Learning Tools (Table 13)

Abstract

This study investigates the role of digital video (DV) composing as a multimodal learning tool on the communicative competence and speaking confidence among beginner English as second language (ESL) learners in an on-the-job English training program in China. Ground in sociocultural and multimodal theories, the research involved 10 participants who created 1-minute travel videos through a structured process of planning, writing, editing, and presenting. Preliminary findings suggest that DV composing effectively reduces communication apprehension, fosters confidence, and enhances practical language skills, demonstrating its potential as an interactive and learner-centered approach to supporting language development in class contexts.

Author

• Qianqian Ma, University at Buffalo - SUNY