The impact of using Information and Communication Technologies to develop speaking skills in Ecuadorian English learners during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract: Nowadays, the use of technological didactic resources experiments impressive changes in education around the world. Ecuador is a country where ICT materials have changed the teaching-learning process. Consequently, this research attempts to know the impact of using technological didactic resources to enhance the speaking skills of Ecuadorian English learners during the pandemic time. This study aims to explore the perceptions about how useful ICT resources are to improve speaking skills in students who learn English as a Foreign Language. Likewise, this investigation was carried out by using a mixed-method where 105 survey questionnaires to students of the first year of senior high school and 5 interviews to educators who teach the EFL were applied and analyzed. Moreover, these instruments were applied in 3 high school institutions in Loja city. The findings show that the learning experience applying ICT resources to enhance speaking skills was perceived as satisfactory for teachers and students because these tools allow students to be focused on comments, questions, or in any pedagogical activity developed during virtual classes.