Oral interaction assessment through video-recorded group discussion: a case of English for Communication Skills (ECS) for graduating students

Abstract

Possessing a good language proficiency could significantly help one to speak better. However, taking an online test in that target language could impact one’s performance. This paper aims to investigate online test anxiety in a group discussion among graduating students majoring in TESL. Oral interaction assessment is one of the components of ECS tested on students’ workplace readiness for graduating students. Before the pandemic, the assessment was conducted face-to-face. However, when the pandemic hit, it had to be done online. The group discussion must be recorded and submitted through a Google form where the students must answer a questionnaire within the allocated time. Analysing the data collected from the online questionnaire and students’ test results, the findings showed that more than half felt anxious when recording the discussion, although they were well-prepared for the assessment. They believed they needed more oral practice online to improve their performance. Despite these concerns, 75% were confident in taking the test. The students’ test results showed that their performance is satisfactory and effective based on two assessors assessing their videos, indicating their anxiety and perceived lack of practice do not interfere with their actual performance when they are confident with their speaking abilities. However, since this study only involved twenty respondents from the TESL program, the findings may not represent the general population of the students in the same faculty. Future studies with a larger sample from various faculties are needed to investigate this phenomenon further.