An Impact Study on the Oral Proficiency of Students from Tamil Medium Schools Tutored in Digital Language Laboratory

K. Thangaraj S Anandhi
DOI:10.46852/2249-6637.02.2024.3

Abstract:

This research study examines the oral expressions of students from Tamil medium schools before and after a targeted educational

intervention using the Digital Language Laboratory (DLL). The focus was on enhancing key areas of oral skills such as pronunciation

and accent, fluency, vocabulary, syntax and grammar, and the confidence level of students. This study involved 64 students (45

girls and 19 boys) from Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute (ADAC&RI), and Horticultural College

and Research Institute for Women (HC&RI W), in Tiruchirappalli, India. After a diagnostic test, the selected students received

systematic training in DLL, established under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research – National Agricultural Higher

Education Plan – Institutional Development Plan (ICAR – NAHEP- IDP) at ADAC&RI in Tiruchirappalli. The oral performance of

the students was categorised into four levels: Needs Improvement, Fair, Good, and Excellent. The calculated t-value of oral skills

is very large, indicating a substantial difference between the pre-evaluation and post-evaluation scores. The p-value is extremely

small (<0.001), far less than the typical significance level of 0.05. This indicates that the observed difference in means is highly

statistically significant.

The intervention in Digital Language Laboratory (DLL) resulted in a remarkable enhancement in the overall performance on the oral skills of students from Tamil medium schools.
The intervention in DLL led to significant improvements across all five key areas of oral skills: pronunciation and accent, fluency, vocabulary, syntax, and grammar.
However, no student reached the “Excellent” level in any category, suggesting the need for sustained, long-term intervention.