Instagram shared tasks in reducing speech anxiety among international students learning Turkish

TL;DR

This study shows that using Instagram for Turkish speaking tasks helps international students reduce speech anxiety and improve language skills.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel use of Instagram for reducing speech anxiety in language learning through task-based activities.

Findings

Students in the experimental group showed significant reduction in speech anxiety compared to the control group.

Instagram-based tasks positively influenced the development of Turkish speech skills.

Task-based learning principles were supported by students' engagement and positive experiences with the activity.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of sharing Turkish speaking tasks on Instagram on the Turkish speech anxiety of international students learning Turkish at the B2 level, using a quasi-experimental intervention design, and to elaborate on the students' perceptions and experiences of the process through qualitative data.

This research used an explanatory sequential design within a mixed-methods approach. The study involved 39 international students learning Turkish at the B2 level in Turkey. Out-of-class speaking (interview) tasks and their sharing on the institutional Instagram account lasted for 6 weeks with 17 students in the experimental group. Quantitative data were collected using pre- and post-tests of the Anxiety Scale for Speech Anxiety. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews to explore in depth the experimental group students' perceptions, experiences, and justifications regarding the activity and implementation process, and to develop explanatory themes related to the background of the quantitative findings. Quantitative data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were then integrated and interpreted.

The quantitative findings of the study show that EG, who participated in Instagram-based conversation tasks, had a statistically significant advantage over CG, who performed conversation activities based on the current curriculum, in both speech anxiety and the development of speech skills. Furthermore, consistent with the task-based foreign language learning principle, which is the theoretical basis of the study, it was found that students' Instagram posts were made in the context of assigned tasks and that this had a positive effect on their speech anxiety. The research offers insights into rapidly growing social media trends regarding the creative use of technological innovations for language learning.

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