Making English a “habit”: Increasing Confidence, Motivation, and Ability of Efl Students through Cross-cultural, Computer- Assisted Interaction

This study examines the relationships among the three essential language-related components -motivation, confidence, and ability -following a series of live videoconference interactions between Taiwanese EFL students and a native speaker. 227 students enrolled in the five advanced conversation classes at a private technical university in central Taiwan participated in this study. Based on quantitative evaluation of student perceptions, the major findings were (1) motivation, confidence, and ability correlated directly, but motivation of the students increased the most as a result of strong videoconference instructional design; and (2) confidence in interacting with native speakers was the best predictor of students’ perceived ability. All data supported the benefits of EFL classroom teachers providing their students authentic experiences interacting with native speakers, and the value of Internet videoconferencing for this interaction. These findings provide a valuable framework for instructors in any foreign language to build a global, cross-cultural classroom.