Abstract
In a classroom where English is being taught as a second or third language, getting pupils to speak English confidently is always a challenging matter. With the introduction of virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Siri, pupils are able to interact with virtual assistants via a trial-and-error approach to improve their English skills, especially speaking and reading skills. This study was carried out in Year 5 of SJKC Pin Min, Bidor Stesen with nine pupils as the sample. A one-shot case study was conducted with the treatment introduced at the beginning of the lessons. An observation checklist was used to identify the behaviours of the pupils while they were utilizing virtual assistants to seek answers orally related to their lesson materials. A questionnaire was given to the pupils after their lessons ended to investigate their perceptions towards using virtual assistants to identify their qualitative preferences. Albeit the lack of sample size in the study and the short timeframe which resulted in inconclusive results, 88% of pupils did find virtual assistants to be helpful in searching for information compared to typing questions in search engines with the reasons being ease of use, fun, and fast. On the contrary, slow internet and lack of personal smart devices hinder the adoption of using virtual assistants in the classroom and at home as 22% of the pupils do not have their own personal devices.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SPEAKING SKILLS, NEUROLINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING, ESL
