Enhancing Speech Production Through AI-Game-Based Practice Activities in the UAE Schools
Eman Ali Zaitoun, Asmaa Almahdawi, Abdellateef Alqawasmi, Abdoulaye Kaba · 2024
This study investigates the efficacy of game-based learning interventions in enhancing the oral communication abilities, including accuracy, fluency, and coherence, of primary Emirati students in grades four and five. The focus is specifically on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in schools in the UAE. This study aims to overcome the shortcomings of conventional drills, which often struggle to properly rectify initial speech mistakes. To do this, a controlled experimental design is used, comprising a total of 1,000 students who are separated into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group engaged in game-based learning activities, while the control group adhered to traditional teaching approaches. The pre-and post-intervention evaluations were examined using descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically t-tests. The results showed that the experimental group saw considerable increases. Accuracy rose by 31.6%, fluency by 34.2%, and coherence by 36.9%. These results highlight the greater effectiveness of game-based learning compared to conventional approaches and also address the lack of study on the impact of interactive learning on UAE EFL learners. This research advocates for the widespread incorporation of game-based techniques into educational curriculum, which has the potential to revolutionize teaching methods and improve student engagement and learning results in language education.