Abstract

This research provides insight into Spanish English for Specific Purposes (ESP) engineering students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of video production for developing their digital oracy skills versus the effectiveness of in-class presentations for developing their public speaking skills. In addition, the authors discuss students’ preferences regarding the two communication modes. Ninety-seven students from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) took part in the study. A 12-item quantitative questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale and an open-ended qualitative questionnaire were used. The results showed that students considered self-created videos to be effective tools for developing their oracy skills. However, results were not conclusive for students’ preferences regarding mode of communication. Contrary to our expectations, a considerable number of students did not feel confident in their use of video presentations and felt intimidated by the cameras. This suggests that a greater emphasis should be put on the development of digital communication skills to prepare our students for the new communication reality.

摘要

这项研究深入了解了西班牙特定用途英语 (ESP) 工程专业学生对视频制作对发展他们的数字演讲技能的有效性的看法，以及课堂演示对发展他们的公共演讲技能的有效性的看法。此外，作者还讨论了学生对这两种交流方式的偏好。来自马德里理工大学（西班牙）的 97 名学生参加了这项研究。采用李克特四点量表的 12 项定量问卷和开放式定性问卷。结果表明，学生认为自己制作的视频是发展他们的演讲技能的有效工具。然而，对于学生对交流方式的偏好，结果并不是决定性的。出乎我们的意料，相当多的学生对使用视频演示没有信心，并且对摄像机感到害怕。这表明应该更加重视数字通信技能的发展，以使我们的学生为新的通信现实做好准备。