Microsoft Word - 8021 6032 Copyright © 2025 The Author IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo IDEAS Journal on Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) Volume 13, Number 2, December 2025 pp. 6079 - 6085 Digital Support for Oral Performance: The Effect of Fondi Application on Speaking Confidence Tika 1, Kadaruddin 2, Karimuddin 3 1,2,3 Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, FKIP Universitas Sembilanbelas November Kolaka Corresponding E-Mail: sartikathyka93@gmail.com Received: 2025-09-18 Accepted: 2025-11-03 DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v13i2.8021 Abstract This study investigates the effectiveness of the Fondi app in boosting Indonesian EFL students’ speaking self-confidence. A quasi-experimental design was conducted with 60 eleventh-grade students from SMAN 1 Bombana, divided equally into experimental and control groups. The intervention lasted four sessions (90 minutes each) over four weeks. Data was compiled using a 30-item self-confidence questionnaire and a speaking performance test. When compared to the control group, statistical analysis showed that the experimental group had significantly improved (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d = 2.98, 95% CI [10.3, 14.8]). The experimental group achieved a 0.85–0.89 gain across five indicators of speaking confidence, while the control group showed only minimal progress (0.18–0.26). These findings support Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, demonstrating that digital tools like Fondi can provide mastery experiences and supportive environments to strengthen learners’ affective readiness. The study concludes that Fondi is an effective digital support for oral performance, though further research with delayed post-tests and larger samples is recommended. Keywords: Digital Support, Speaking Confidence, Oral Performance, Fondi Application. Introduction In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, speaking fluency is both essential and one of the hardest competence to acquire. Many Indonesian learners experience low self-confidence, which often leads to hesitation, anxiety, and silence during oral communication. Such challenges underline that self-confidence is not only a psychological trait but also a determinant of successful oral performance. Zega (2025) emphasized that non-linguistic factors, such as fear of judgment and speaking anxiety which can significantly undermine learners’ oral proficiency. Several studies confirm the central role of confidence and affective readiness Tika, Kadaruddin, Karimuddin Digital Support for Oral Performance: The Effect of Fondi Application on Speaking Confidence 6080 in speaking achievement. Hadi et al. (2021) demonstrated that self-confidence strongly predicts Indonesian learners’ speaking proficiency. Similarly, Duong and Nguyen (2021), Derakhshan et al. (2016), and Davronovich (2025) noted that psychological readiness facilitates oral performance. More recently, app-assisted learning studies (Dong et al., 2022; Almayez et al., 2025) revealed that mobile platforms can reduce anxiety and increase motivation, while research by Rambe and Amran (2024), Erlita and Putri (2024), and Maudy (2025) highlighted the contribution of Fondi to improving speaking skills and self-assurance. Despite these findings, speaking confidence remains underexplored as a measurable outcome, especially at the senior high school level in Indonesia. Prior research has often examined speaking skills or anxiety, but less attention has been given to confidence as an independent construct. In this study, speaking confidence is operationally defined as a learner’s self-perception of ability across five indicators: fluency, willingness to speak, body language, attitude toward mistakes, and eye contact. To address this gap, the present research was guided by two questions: 1. Does the Fondi application significantly improve students’ speaking confidence compared to conventional instruction? 2. Which indicators of speaking confidence show the greatest improvement after using Fondi? Fondi is a mobile-assisted language learning application that provides scenario-based speaking tasks, AI feedback, and peer collaboration features. Its immersive design allows learners to practice in low-stakes environments, simulate real-life interactions, and receive instant feedback. These affordances make Fondi a promising tool to reduce Indonesian students’ affective barriers in oral performance while complementing traditional classroom instruction. Method This study adopted a quantitative quasi-experimental approach with pre-test and post-test control groups. It was implemented to allow comparison between an experimental and a control group in an authentic school setting without random assignment, while still providing valid evidence of treatment effects. Specifically, it involved 60 eleventh-grade students (aged 16–17) from SMAN 1 Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Students were purposively selected from two intact classes. The experimental group (n = 30) was exposed to the treatment using the Fondi application, while the control group (n = 30) learned through conventional speaking practices. Participants were required to (a) be actively enrolled in the school, (b) attend all treatment sessions, and (c) have no prior extended experience with Fondi or similar applications. Furthermore, the treatment lasted four sessions of 90 minutes each over four weeks. The experimental group practiced speaking through the Fondi application, which provides AI-supported scenario-based conversations, role-play tasks, real- IDEAS, Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2025 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 6081 time feedback, and peer collaboration features. The control group engaged in traditional speaking activities such as pair or group board games and teacher- guided dialogues. To gather data, two instruments were administered. The first instrument was a speaking confidence questionnaire, consisting of 30 Likert-scale items that measured five indicators: fluency, willingness to speak, body language, attitude toward mistakes, and eye contact. Reliability testing during the pilot study yielded a Cronbach’s α of 0.89, suggesting strong reliability. The second instrument was a speaking performance test, in which students performed oral tasks assessed on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. The test was rated by the researcher and an English teacher, with inter-rater reliability reaching r = 0.87. The study consisted of three stages: (1) a pre-test administered to both groups, (2) a four-week intervention, and (3) a post-test. Both tests included the questionnaire and speaking tasks. Subsequently, the collected data were interpreted by IBM SPSS version 25. Normality and homogeneity tests were conducted prior to hypothesis testing. An independent-samples t-test compared the post-test means of the two groups, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Furthermore, confidence intervals (95% CI) and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were computed to determine the magnitude and reliability of the differences. Finally, ethical approval was obtained from the school administration, and All participants gave their informed consent. Throughout the study, the anonymity and confidentiality of the students were preserved. Results Descriptive Analysis of Pre Test in Experimental Class and Control Class Before conducting the treatment, a pre-test was administered to both the experimental and control classes to measure their initial speaking performance. The descriptive analysis aimed to identify the students’ baseline scores, including minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation. The results of the pre-test for both groups are presented in Table 1. Group N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Experimental Class 30 55 70 62,3 4,21 Control Class 30 54 71 61,9 4,37 Initially, both groups completed a pre-test to identify their speaking performance baseline. The descriptive analysis showed that the experimental class had a mean score of 62.3 (SD = 4.21), while the control class scored 61.9 (SD = 4.37). Tika, Kadaruddin, Karimuddin Digital Support for Oral Performance: The Effect of Fondi Application on Speaking Confidence 6082 Therefore, the two groups began the study with comparable levels of speaking ability, and no significant difference was observed. Descriptive Analysis of Post-Test in Experimental and Control Classes A post-test was given after the treatment to gauge how the Fondi application affected student speaking abilities. Descriptive statistics include the mean, standard deviation, and the lowest and highest scores of the students in the experimental and control groups. The post-test results are summarized in Table 2. Group N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Experimental Class 30 72 85 78,6 3,92 Control Class 30 60 73 66,2 3,45 After implementation, the experimental group’s mean score increased to 78.6 (SD = 3.92), while the control group reached only 66.2 (SD = 3.45). This indicates that the experimental group experienced greater improvement than the control group. An independent-samples t-test confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference (t(58) = 11.34, p = 0.001). Moreover, the effect size was large (Cohen’s d = 2.98, 95% CI [10.3, 14.8]), suggesting that the practice of Fondi had a substantial influence on students’ speaking performance. Descriptive Analysis of Students’ Self Confidence in Speaking Dealing with the speaking performance test, the experimental and control groups were given a self-confidence questionnaire at the pre-test and post-test stages. Thirty items on a five-point Likert scale made up the questionnaire and measured five indicators of speaking self-confidence: fluency, willingness to speak, body language, attitude toward mistakes, and eye contact. The purpose of this questionnaire was to capture students’ psychological readiness and confidence in oral communication. The descriptive results of the questionnaire are presented in Table 3. Indikator Group PreTest Mean Post Test Mean Gain Score Fluency Experimental 3,01 3,87 0.86 Control 3.04 3.22 0.18 Willingness to Speak Experimental 2.95 3.82 0.87 Control 2.97 3.21 0.24 Body Language Experimental 2.88 3.76 0.88 IDEAS, Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2025 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 6083 Control 2.90 3.15 0.25 Attitude toward Mistakes Experimental 2.91 3.80 0.89 Control 2.93 3.19 0.26 Eye Contact Experimental 2.94 3.79 0.85 Control 2.95 3.18 0.23 In addition to performance scores, students’ self-confidence was measured using a 30-item questionnaire. The experimental group demonstrated consistent gains across all five indicators: fluency (0.86), willingness to speak (0.87), body language (0.88), attitude toward mistakes (0.89), and eye contact (0.85). By contrast, the control group showed only minor improvements, with gains ranging from 0.18 to 0.26. Notably, attitude toward mistakes showed the highest improvement in the experimental group, indicating that Fondi helped students feel more comfortable making and correcting errors in speaking. These distinctions between the experimental and control groups across all indicators are illustrated in Figure 1. Discussion The experimental evidence confirmed that the Fondi app substantially boosted students’ speaking self-confidence. Both questionnaire and speaking performance test results showed higher gains in the experimental group compared to the control group. Students who used Fondi demonstrated greater willingness to speak, reduced anxiety, and improved body language, fluency, and attitude toward mistakes. These results are consistent with Hadi, et al. (2021) and Derakhshan & Karimi (2020), who emphasized the role of self-confidence in enhancing oral communication. It is also in line with Azimova (2024) who stated that developing self-confidence is fundamental for students to perform well in oral communication. Furthermore, the study result supports Dong (2022) and, who found that mobile applications help reduce speaking anxiety and build motivation. Tika, Kadaruddin, Karimuddin Digital Support for Oral Performance: The Effect of Fondi Application on Speaking Confidence 6084 This study extends previous research by highlighting that Fondi not only enhances speaking ability as Rambe & Amran (2024), Permatasari et al. (2024), Nurhaliza (2024), Erlita & Putri (2024), and Maudy (2025) but also fosters psychological readiness, which is equally important for successful communication. The immersive and interactive features of Fondi support Bandura’s (1997) theory of self-efficacy, providing learners with mastery experiences and a supportive environment that increase confidence. The results suggest that integrating digital applications like Fondi can complement traditional classroom practices by addressing both linguistic and affective aspects of learning, thus offering a more holistic approach to developing students’ speaking competence. Conclusion This study confirmed that the Fondi application significantly improved Indonesian high school students’ speaking confidence. Both the questionnaire and performance test results signified that the experimental group achieved consistently higher gains than the control group. Specifically, the largest improvements were observed in willingness to speak and attitude toward mistakes, which are critical affective aspects of oral communication. The findings further revealed that the improvement was not only statistically significant (p = 0.001) but also characterized by a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.98). This suggests that Fondi’s impact was both meaningful and substantial. The results support Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and extend previous research on mobile-assisted learning by showing how Fondi can address affective barriers such as anxiety and low confidence, thereby complementing traditional classroom instruction. For teachers, this implies that Fondi may serve as a cost-effective digital support tool when integrated with guided practice and structured classroom activities. Despite these contributions, the study has certain limitations. The relatively short duration, single school setting, and focus on confidence alone narrow the the findings applicabilty. Upcoming studies should include delayed post-tests, larger and more diverse samples, and explore other affective variables such as motivation, enjoyment, and anxiety reduction. Overall, Fondi shows strong potential as a scalable digital tool that enhances not only students’ linguistic competence but also their psychological readiness for successful oral performance. References Azimova, M. 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