Videoconferencing for EFL transformative learning: The case of Soliya
Videoconferencing for EFL transformative learning: The case of Soliya

Summary/Abstract: New trends in foreign language instruction revolve around the learner and they all attempt to facilitate language acquisition by using one form of information technology or another. This paper proposes that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction use videoconferencing for transformative learning. It makes the case by illustrating how the videoconferencing facility offered by Soliya’s Connect Program (SCP) was able to have a transformative effect on English learning students at the University of Jordan. The study relied on data obtained by means of the Test of English as a Foreign Language-Internet-Based Test (TOEFL-IBT) as a pre- and post-test, transcribed video-conferencing sessions, the participants’ blog writing, and pre- and post-experiment attitude surveys to gauge the degree of improvement in fluency accuracy, and intercultural attitudes. The analysis of the data showed a significant improvement in the development of linguistic competence. The learners thought that their intercultural communication skills, analytical abilities, as well as their knowledge about current issues had improved as a result of participation in Soliya’s videoconferencing. They also reported that they had become more empathetic with the other, and more able to understand and share the feelings of others who might have points of view opposite to their own. Videoconferencing empowered the learners to perceive themselves as becoming more proactive and more capable of effecting change in their societies.

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