Implementation of the Plotagon Application in EFL Speaking Lessons: Its Effect on Speaking Anxiety and Student Motivation

Abstract

Teaching speaking in foreign language education has been a controversial issue because of the anxiety and motivation. Although the issue has been investigated by many researchers, it remains unclear how to decrease the speaking anxiety, and there is no study on the impact of the Plotagon, which is an interactive digital storytelling application that allows its users to create avatars, choose among scenes and shoot a film by recording their voices, on student motivation and speaking anxiety. The present article examines whether implementing Plotagon affects speaking anxiety and student motivation. 103 high school students studying in a large school in Turkey were chosen via purposive sampling, and concurrent mixed-methods research was conducted to achieve a better understanding of the target phenomenon. The quantitative data were analyzed via SPSS, and the content analysis of the qualitative data was realized via MAXQDA. Results show that implementing Plotagon in speaking classes decreased the level of speaking anxiety and motivated the students in the speaking activities by providing avatars and preparation time, contextualizing speaking, making students content creators, and allowing self-correction. The study has significant pedagogical implications for teachers who aspire to decrease speaking anxiety and motivate their students in speaking classes.