The Effects of Using ‘Soundcloud’ on Speaking

Performance of Ecuadorian Students

Ximena Calero Sánchez, Lorena Parra Gavilánez, Andrés Morales Fiallos
Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación
Universidad Técnica de Ambato
Ambato, Ecuador
{xcalero, lparra, carlosamoralesf}@uta.edu.ec

Abstract—This paper aimed to investigate the effects of using RESEARCH QUESTIONS

‘Soundcloud’ social sound platform on the speaking performance
of Ecuadorian students of an English Teacher Training Program. This paper intends to investigate the effects of using
It is well known that technology enhances the learning of a ‘Soundcloud’ social sound platform on the speaking
second/foreign language, and speaking skills have been improved performance of Ecuadorian students of an English Teacher
by the use of technological tools that motivate students to Training Program. It seeks to answer the following research
perform meaningful conversations. This research was guided by questions:
a quasi-experimental research method where the experimental
group produced student-made podcasts on ‘Soundcloud’, while 1) Will there be a significant improvement in the students’
the controlled group carried out traditional in-class discussions.
speaking performance in the post test both in the control and
A pre and post Versant (Cambridge) test was applied to measure
improvement on speaking skills. A total of six topics were the Experimental Group?
assigned to students to be discussed in groups of three. The 2) Are there any significant differences between the control
findings reveal no significant differences in the results of the post- and experimental groups in the post-tests in relation to the use
test compared with those of the pre-test for both the control and of Soundcloud?
experimental groups in their speaking performance, thus
findings contribute as an alternative for traditional in-class
discussions. A few considerations for further research are
II. TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION
addressed.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have
Keywords—podcasts, speaking performance, Soundcloud become an important tool in educational contexts. Since
technology is developing rapidly, it is required for educators
to be updated to those new advances considering learners from
I. INTRODUCTION
today were born into technology, thus the use of computers or
Technology has become a support for the teaching-learning electronic devices is elementary for them. “Students of today
process. Web 2.0 has provided a variety of tools to be used in have become technologically savvy and pro-active users of
second/foreign language learning and has offered ICTs”[2]. It mainly depends on the educator to give learning
opportunities to motivate learners. Podcasting is one of the an efficient support using technology. Stockwell and Tanaka-
tools used in different fields to enhance learning. Podcasting Ellis [3, pp. 88] affirm, ‘Technology does not inherently
concerns “downloading a series of audio or video broadcasts facilitate language learning, but rather, it is how technology is
(files) onto a digital media player, via a computer” [1] thus used that dictates whether or not language learning occurs
the benefits of its application is ample. through its use’. Therefore, it is the responsibility of
practitioners to incorporate ICTs and give effective use of
In Ecuadorian contexts English is a foreign language which them for the learners’ benefit.
is being taught in all educational institutions. Upon
graduation, students are expected to achieve a B2 level A. Forms of Technology
according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of
Reference for languages). This need is not being There is a variety of forms of technology on the social web
accomplished, subsequently students enter university with a or web 2.0, which facilitates sharing information on the web.
low knowledge of English. Learners are expected to develop The most used forms regard forums, social networks, wikis,
the four language skills; speaking, writing, listening and blogs, and podcasts. In a discussion board, usually called
reading to acquire the B2 level. While studies which have online forum, users can post ideas and discuss different topics.
focused the development of skills in English exist, no known People usually use this means to give opinions or ask for
studies have implemented the activities that are proposed in advice. Social networking has become the most popular form
the present work. This study is hopefully significant for EFL, of technology. A social networking site is an online platform
ESL and other educational areas, since teachers and students that allows users to create a public profile and interact with
will be the principal beneficiated subjects. other users on the website [4]. Among the most used social
networking sites are facebook, twitter, and instagram. A wiki
permits users to add and edit content at any time, that is why

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this is highly used for collaborative work. A blog (short form tool to complement their study activities. A way of promoting
of weblog) is “a website containing a log or dairy of collaborative work is by engaging and motivating learners to
information, about certain topics or opinions” [5]. A Podcast produce podcasts [15].
can be in a form of an audio or a video file which can be
C. Podcasting in Second/Foreing Language Contexts
downloaded onto a digital media player using a computer [1].
B. Podcasts and Education In second and foreign language contexts, there are important
studies which affirm technological tools have favoured
Web 2.0 has favoured users with tools that can be used for a English language skills development. Kasapoğlu-Akyol [16]
variety of purposes. In the case of podcasting, it is a tool in his/ her study pointed out technology helps learners
which can be used for delivering information (news), improve language and communication skills using an
entertainment, as well as for educational purposes. A podcast electronic dictionary, internet dictionary, websites and articles
is a term that combines the words ‘ipod’ and ‘broadcast’. This from internet, e-mails, chat programs, Microsoft Word,
is an audio recording which is downloaded and/or uploaded on Spelling and Grammar Check, a digital camera, as well as
internet. Adam Curry [6] is recognized to first denominate the Media player and cell phones for recording own voices.
term ‘podcast’. Several websites, and mobile applications on Technological tools have also granted to speaking
podcasting are available to web users at no cost. Recognized improvement, this is the case of Skype. For instance, Yen,
sites on podcasting as the BBC, CNN, or the Guardian can be Hou & Chang [17] in their study carried out in EFL courses in
accessed from any computer, tablet, or mobile phone from Taiwan concluded Skype was a main factor for improving
anywhere at any time. speaking skills, combining it with a role-playing instructional
strategy. VOP (Voxopop) and VT (VoiceThread)
According to Lui and McCombs [7], there are three types of
podcasts which can be produced and used: audio-podcasts asynchronous voice tools are other tools which have also
(include audios and demand small space for storing), enhanced contributed to substantially benefit speaking/listening skills on
adult EFL learners since they may be motivating, user-
podcasts (audio and still combined images), and video
friendly, and versatile tools which may be used outside
podcasts or sometimes called vodcasts (audio and video with a
class[18].
large storage space requirement).
McGarr [8] categorized podcasts in three groups: substantial Some special interest regards using podcasting in the
podcasts (used for substituting classroom teaching), development of languages skills, specially listening skill [19],
supplementary podcasting (used for providing summaries of [20]. This new technology can be successfully used to
classes or additional material), and creative podcasts (learners- promote speaking skill as well, since it can have positive
made podcasts). effects on EFL learner’s speaking performance [21], [22].
With the help of technology, podcasting is being used in Dozens of hosting services for podcasting can be found
different manners, and is beneficiating leaners with the throughout the web and are available at low or no cost. Some
adventure of taking the learning experience outside recognized ones comprehend iTunes, Stitcher, Libsyn,
classrooms. The shifting of lectures to outside-of-classroom- PodBean, and Soundcloud.
time is contributing with favourable moments to interact and ‘Soundcloud’ has been used in diverse education areas and has
communicate outside academic environments [9]. highly benefited learning. It has principally been used for
Furthermore, podcasting benefits education since it can create accessing audio material. For instance, its application has been
a better digital learning space and context, stimulate students’ reported in music education contexts [23], medical education
interest in learning as well as promote autonomous learning [24], Arts Education [25].
[10]. There is still a lot to research regarding experiences on
The effectiveness of podcasting in language learning, as
learners when podcasting “Although the academic community
discussed above, has been studied in different manners.
is showing strong interest, research into students’ experience
Nevertheless, there is no evidence of studies in the Ecuadorian
of podcasting is in its very early stages.” [11]
context that investigate its impact on promoting EFL language
Podcasting has been utilized in education for a long time, skills. To address this gap in the literature, this study sheds
and hence it is considered as “the most conservative and light on the possible effects of using ‘Soundcloud’ social
formal of all teaching methods” [12]. Important works point sound platform on Ecuadorian students’ speaking
out that podcasting has outstanding contributions in performance. On Soundcloud, it is simple to upload and share
educational settings. Oliver [13] states that podcasting stories, songs, discussions, etc. “SoundCloud is the world’s
contributes to learners’ motivation and engagement in their leading social sound platform where anyone can listen to or
learning, statement which is supported by some research create sounds and share them everywhere”[26]. This is a
carried out by Fernández, Simo and Sallan [14] in higher complete audio and music platform which allows users to
education where the authors affirms podcasting contributes to create a free account where they can upload a maximum of
students’ motivation. Heilesen [12] argues podcasting has a 180 minutes. They can access two different pre-paid plans as a
“positive impact on the academic environment”. The author Pro user or a Pro unlimited user as well, thus it will depend on
manifests podcasting facilitates teaching providing with a new their interest to use the tool. A user can create her/his account

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as a creator, listener and/or a curator. Users can share their experiment showed that the groups were very similar in terms
sounds and keep them private or make them public. Similarly, of speaking (see table 1), as a p value of 0.9654 was obtained.
users can find new music, follow creators and watch their Figure 1 shows the similarity between scores in the speaking
Stream grow with a variety of new audio day after day. What section of the Versant test of the students prior to application
really engages podcasters is the facility it provides to upload of the treatment.
the SoundCloud application on their smartphones, create an
account and record their podcasts directly in the platform.
Thus, it is not necessary to use other sources to record audios,
transform to mp3 and transfer to the platform, since you can
do that directly into the app. This platform was created for
musicians, since there it is possible to distribute their music.
Soundcloud analyzes the sound wave, thus listeners are able to
write a comment at an exact time of the audio. In language
learning contexts, this issue can be taken advantage since
listeners can comment intonation, pronunciation, vocabulary,
accuracy problems, etc. of speakers. Thus, learners may be
able to enhance their speaking performance.
III. METHOD Fig. 1. Mean scores of Group A and Group B in the pre-test

A. Research Design
C. Instruments
This research involves a quasi-experimental design since
subjects of study were not assigned randomly. A pre- In order to measure the learners’ performance before and
test/post-test quasi-experimental research design is used after the treatment, a pre- and post- Versant™ English
considering subjects were assigned randomly to groups. The Placement Test from Pearson was used in this study. The
experimental group worked with Soundcloud (podcasts Versant™ English Placement Test for English language
platform/application) to perform their discussions in class- learners has been designed to evaluate speaking, listening,
hours and as outside-classroom activities. The control group reading, and writing skills automatically. The test
performed only in-class traditional discussions. The learners’ comprehends nine parts: A: Read Aloud, B: Repeat, C:
speaking improvement in the post-test was compared for both Sentence Builds, D: Conversations, E: Typing, F: Sentence
groups to identify whether there were significant differences Completion, G: Dictation, H: Passage Reconstruction, and I:
between the groups in respect to the treatment. Summary and Opinion. This test uses speech processing
technology [27]. The scores specifically for the speaking
B. Participants and Context section have been considered. The test was taken on a
The study was carried out on a third semester of an English computer laboratory facilitated by the English Teacher
Teacher Training Program in Ecuador. 23 students (15 women Training Program at ‘Universidad Técnica de Ambato’.
and 8 men) aged 19 to 22 years old participated in this D. Procedures
research where English is a foreign language. Learners were
enrolled in the Oral Skills mandatory subject in which learners At the beginning of the semester, the twenty-three learners
produce oral texts in English with the goal of communicating received the pre-test before the treatment and instruction. The
ideas, giving and receiving information about one’s own data was analyzed and a t-test was computed to guarantee the
cultural identity as well as other countries, while using oral groups equivalence. Learners were assigned to the
language, with three weekly contact hours in a semester. All experimental (12) and the control (11) randomly. A total of six
learners from the class participated in this research, 12 in the weeks sessions of three hours respectively were carried out
experimental group and 11 in the control group. The subject’s during the treatment. In the five sessions, learners were
teacher is a non-native speaker of English with more than 15 presented short (3-5 minutes) videos where they observed and
year-experience in teaching English as a foreign language. heard native speakers talking in different contexts. First, they
were asked to identify, for instance, intonation of speakers and
TABLE I. T-TEST RESULTS FOR THE GROUPS’ HOMOGENEITY then the activity was accompanied by a brief and clear
Group No. Mean St. t Sig. (2
explanation from the instructor, as well as a handout given to
Deviation Value tailed) learners. The five sessions were developed similarly with the
Control 11 48.9090 11.6486 -0.04 0.9654 following topics:
Experimental 12 49.0833 6.3454
• Session 1: Interjections and discourse markers.
• Session 2: Intonation (falling, rising, fall-rise)
Homogeneity of the participants. The results of an • Session 3: Sentence stress / words stress.
independent t test performed on the grades obtained by • Session 4: Pronunciation -ed (in past simple tense
students on a Versant test prior to the implementation of the and past participle of regular verbs and adjectives)

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 • Session 5: Pronunciation article the and s on the final IV. THE RESULTS
consonant (sound).
• In session 6 learners performed a last discussion This study investigated the effects of using ‘Soundcloud’
social sound platform on the speaking performance of
Ecuadorian students of an English Teacher Training Program.
The experimental and control groups were divided in groups The scores obtained from the participants’ overall Versant pre-
of three with a total of eight groups. Both groups discussed test and post-test were compared. The results are presented
about one different topic in every session. Learners offered a based on the research questions.
list of ten topics they preferred to discuss in the sessions from
which five general topics were chosen to be developed by all To answer the first research question (Will there be a
groups; among the topics were: 1. What is love?, 2. Travelling significant improvement in the students’ speaking
with friends, 3. The Best Place to live in, 4. Experiences I performance in the post test both in the control and the
have had, 5. People who I admire, 6. Free topic. Experimental Group?) a paired samples t-test was used to find
any statistically significant differences in the results of the
Learners in the control group were instructed to perform 5-7 post-test compared with those of the pre-test for both groups.
minutes in-class discussions where an assigned group and the For the control group, no significant differences were found.
educator listened to their participation. Observers made notes
during the discussion. After the task, observers in turns Similarly, for the experimental group, no significant
commented their classmates’ participation and gave feedback differences were found on the Speaking section of the Versant
for improvement. This happened in every session, after the test.
videos and instructor’s presentations.
TABLE II. T-TEST RESULTS FOR THE VERSANT SPEAKING SCORE POST-TEST
On the other hand, learners in the experimental group were
asked to create a group’s and an individual account in Group No. Mean St. Sig. (2
Deviation tailed)
‘Soundcloud’ platform. They were instructed to use it on their
Control 11 47.8181 12.8749 0.8376
personal computers as well as on their smartphones’ Experimental 12 48.7500 7.7122
application. Students created 5-7 minutes learners-made
podcasts while recording them in the group’s account using
the application. They had the freedom to leave the classroom
and find a quiet place to carry out the task. They were also
free to record the podcast again if the group agreed. After the
task, learners individually listened to the assigned group’s
podcast, commented, and gave feedback to classmates for
improvement. The instructor provided feedback to learners
after finishing the task with the control group as well.
Every activity had a time limit which was controlled by a
group member. Both the control and the experimental groups
provided reports from the comments and feedback received Fig 3. Mean scores of Control and Experimental groups in the post-test
from classmates to their instructor.
Fig. 2 shows the groups’ organization for carrying out the To answer the second research question (Are there any
observations and giving feedback/comments. significant differences between the control and experimental
groups in the post-tests in relation to the use of Soundcloud?)
an independent samples t-test was used to find any statistically
significant differences in the results of the post-test in group 1
compared with those of the post-test for group 2, and no
significant differences were found.
While no significant differences were found in relation to the
use of ‘Soundcloud’ platform, thus results presented similar
outcomes in the pre and post tests without showing a decrease
in the results; the study revealed that the use of ‘Soundcloud’,
subsequent to the process followed in this study, could
Fig. 2. Groups organization for the observations and feedback.
effectively substitute the traditional in-class discussions
After the treatment, both the experimental and control group commonly carried out in EFL contexts.
learners took the post-test. The data collected were analyzed in
order to investigate the differences between the experimental V. CONCLUSIONS
and control group in the post-test in speaking performance.
The results in the Versant pre and post tests showed no
The results of the study are presented in the following section.
significant differences in speaking performance between the

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