LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/LLT Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 111 IMPROVING EFL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING PROFICIENCY THROUGH INSTAGRAM VLOG Mega Wulandari Sanata Dharma University megawuland@gmail.com DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2019.220111 received 15 February 2019; revised 23 March 2019; accepted 29 March 2019 Abstract This research investigated whether Instagram Vlog contributed to the improvement of EFL’s speaking ability. It also examined learners’ perceptions on the integration of Instagram Vlog in a speaking class. There were 28 participants involved in this research. To determine the impact of the Instagram Vlog on EFL learners’ speaking ability, pre- and post-tests were administered to measure the improvement. The results indicated that the implementation of Instagram Vlog into a basic-level speaking class improved the learners’ speaking proficiency in terms of pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, syntax, and general use of the target language. The analysis of the questionnaire demonstrated that the utilization of Instagram vlog contributed to EFL learners’ speaking skill on enhancing fluency, acquiring vocabulary items, and boosting confidence and motivation. Keywords: assessment, digital video, language learning speaking, mobile-assisted, perception Introduction In the 21st century, the ability to communicate well is one of the fundamental aspects. In order to communicate well, the ability to speak a foreign language needs to be acquired. Foreign language learners consider speaking a difficult skill to achieve for several reasons (Luoma, 2004). First, speaking involves a multifaceted cognitive process that is considered challenging by foreign learners (Bygate, 2006). Second, there are some psychological factors that contribute on EFL’s speaking ability such as self-confidence and anxiety (Aydin, 2001). Anxiety may hinder learners to produce target language satisfactorily (Pasaribu & Harendita, 2018). Language educators, in this case, should be able to employ a task which can foster a sense of achievement to diminish the learners’ speaking anxiety, which eventually will lead to the improvement of their self-confidence (Saint-Leger, 2009). Apart from the cognitive process and psychological aspects, another factor which influences EFL learners when they perform a speaking task is the limited number of opportunity to have extensive practice outside the class, as they can only practice their speaking ability in the Speaking class. Thus, the language teachers need to creatively and innovatively employ a media which can extend learners’ opportunity to apply the extensive practice outside the class so that learners can obtain more exposure, instead of relying only on the in-class speaking practices (O’Malley & Pierce, 1996). LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 112 Technological media have been recently employed in language classes in order to achieve higher amount of speaking practices outside the class (Christianson, Hoskins, & Watanabe, 2009). The ability to connect with other learners is seen as the benefit of the technological media. One of the technological media which can be incorporated into language classes is Instagram. Instagram is one of the most popular social media among youths in this era. Some language educators have given considerable attention to its potential as a sharing platform for pictures and digital video. Video recording itself has been used in language teaching and assessment as one of the components in oral performance portfolio (Cheng & Chau, 2009). Using video recordings, learners can observe their own performance making it possible to do self-reflection which will lead to learner’s autonomy. Based on those reasons, this research aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Instagram Video Blog (vlog) on EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. The research offered some insights into the incorporation of technology by adding pedagogical values on a popular social media, Instagram, in the EFL speaking class. This review of the literature seeks to critically discuss any research relevant to Instagram and build interaction among EFL learners. Firstly, the connection between Instagram and EFL learning will be discussed. Following this the discussion will progress to focus on the fundamental theory of building interaction among EFL learners. Finally, key issues and gaps in the current research are identified and discussed. Instagram and EFL Learning Seemingly every day a new mobile or web application comes out in creating a new medium in which people strive to interact successfully (Wesch, 2010). In the last decade, EFL learners have increasingly utilized Social Network sites (SNSs) to develop their language proficiency. One of the most popular social media in the world with over 800 million active users (Instagram Press, 2017) is Instagram. Statista (2017) reports that the most active users of Instagram in Asia Pacific is Indonesians, with the immense growth of 22 million users in 2016 to 45 million in 2017. It has confirmed that Indonesians have the largest youth community of instagrammers in the world. Instagram mainly serves its function as a sharing platform which users can use to post personal photos and videos which is enhanced with beautifully crafted captions on their profile page. Instagram Press (2017) reports that there are 40 billion photos and videos are posted on Instagram every day. It is becoming increasingly popular for individuals to record their behaviors or actions and upload them to a social network (Okada, et al., 2017). Besides serving its function as a sharing platform, Instagram is also used as networking site as users build connection by following each other’s profiles. Users are able to view postings on their friends’ feeds and provide respond by liking and commenting on posts. Likes and comments are posted publicly, so everyone follows the feed can see how many “likes” the post has collected to show the number of people favor the image or video. “Comment” feature also brings the communication into the whole new level allowing users to interact to each other toward posts with specific theme. Apart from that, Instagram users can also communicate privately through “Direct Message” feature. By using these features, Instagram users can involve in the LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 113 synchronous and asynchronous communication both publicly and privately. Instagram setting provides users with the ability to choose between ‘public’ or ‘private’ profile giving them the options to restrict or to open the access to their profile. Therefore, Instagram can accommodate speaking practices since it is seen as an ideal environment for EFL learners to produce language exposure. Thorne and Black (2007) state that many EFL learners develop the target language primarily through online means which may include online gaming, SNSs and vlogging, etc. Consequently, EFL educators are exploring how these online tools can be integrated into formal EFL education (Kern, Ware and Warschauer, 2008; Harrison and Thomas, 2009; Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin, 2010; Kessler, 2013). One of the activities utilizing social media is vlogging or video blogging. Vlogging activity is currently gaining popularity worldwide. Vlogging activity involves users to record video or themselves to communicate information on a certain topic, and then upload it on a video hosting platform, such as YouTube or Instagram (Gao, Tian, Huang, & Yang, 2010). As one of video hosting platforms, Instagram can upload 1-minute video length to profile feed. Previously, Instagram can only accommodate 15-second videos, but as it keeps innovating, they extend the length of the video to enable users to communicate their message to their audiences. Furthermore, another feature that keeps users spending their time scrolling the news feed is the “swipable carousel”. Instagram has the ability to share a series of up to 10 images/videos as a single carousel post that followers can swipe through. Those features if utilized together optimally can give EFL learners opportunity to post their multiple 1-minute videos to create continuous stories. This activity can be a great idea to be incorporated in the EFL learning context as it enables learners to create an authentic social environment where they can acquire language and boost their motivation simultaneously since it is a trending activity among youth community. Some researchers have revealed a number of advantages achieved through video recording activity for EFL learners. Okada, et al. (2017) examined the effect of using video recordings of student presentations in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. The findings show that the students were able to develop strategies for how to deliver an oral presentation successfully and gain self- confidence in improving their English presentation skills in the classroom. Furthermore, Gokturk (2016) examined the oral performance of 10 Turkish EFL learners utilizing video recording posted on Facebook for their speaking classes. The result of the study shows that the use of digital video can improve learners’ speaking proficiency. The research also suggests that incorporating digital video recording into speaking classes can foster learners’ self-confidence as well as promoting them to experiment with the target language by taking risks. Video recording activity can help EFL learners to enhance their oral performance in many ways. First, learners have the opportunity to execute self- reflection by watching the video produced by themselves and see how they performed, and what can be improved in future practices. By evaluating their own video, learners become more critical on their own abilities (Akdeniz, 2017). In the LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 114 same vein, Cheng and Chau (2009) also investigated the potential of e-portfolio in the form of video as a media to foster self-reflection in learning environment. The analysis of the data showed that learners to encourage to enhance their speaking and listening skills as those skills are relevant to their learning needs. Similarly, Huang and Hung (2010) studied the EFL learners’ perception toward the utilization of e-portfolios as an alternative method of assessing their speaking skill in Taiwan. The result of the research revealed that EFL learners favored the task of creating e- portfolio as not only the lecturer can assess their performance, but they can also obtain chances to evaluate their own performance and identify their weakness in speaking. They also saw this as an extensive practice of their speaking skill allowing them to reduce their anxiety when having to practice their speaking in front of the class. Conversely, some possible challenges which might be encountered by the students are mainly technically related problem such as internet connection and speaking anxiety when talking in front of camera. Research focusing on the implementation of Instagram as the video hosting platform which provides students with opportunity to share their oral production is not yet gaining much attention. That fact encourage the researcher to conduct this study. Building Interaction among EFL Learners In Sociocultural theory, Vygotsky (1978) proposed two types of stimulus to enhance knowledge acquisition, namely mediational effect and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The first one is related to the learners’ interaction with their environment which can shape new forms of knowledge and concepts (Warchauer, 2005). Meanwhile, the ZPD is characterized with individual ability to develop their reflective and problem solving ability through the interaction with peers (Vygotsky, 1978). In relation to that, the most preferable way to stimulate students to engage and collaborate in order to achieve problem-solving ability is a student-centered, project-based activity. Teachers are no longer seen as the dispenser of the knowledge in the classroom, rather, they would be considered as the facilitators, providing ample opportunities for students to develop their thinking skills. On the other hand, students would be in the role of problem solver who will reflect and build up their own interpretation toward the learning activities they have experienced (Barr et al., 2005; Tam, 2000). The purpose of utilizing Instagram vlog as the media to enhance speaking ability of EFL learners are to create an environment where the learners can interact with others while experimenting with the media which is closed to their daily lives, vanishing the anxiety of being assessed and developing self-achievement. This approach would also create opportunity for them to explore new form of self- expression while sharing their oral production to fellow learners in order to improve their speaking proficiency. Previous research has investigated the use of Facebook and e-Portfolio among other social networking sites. An investigation on Instagram is also merited as the features would provide other interactional patterns and function, so it might contribute different effect on students’ speaking skill. This study aims to address this by offering a new perspective on the pedagogic value of Instagram for EFL learning which have not been explored previously. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 115 Method Context of the Study This study was carried out in Speaking I class, which was a one-semester (14 weeks) compulsory course offered to the undergraduate learners in the first semester of their study at English Education department in Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia. It is a two-credit course, so the allocated time for each meeting is 100 minutes per week. The course was designed to provide learners with ample opportunities to enhance their speaking proficiency. Furthermore, it was also designed to help learners foster their self-confidence in speaking English in vast arrays of daily situations both with preparation or without preparation. With that goals in mind, the course included lectures on basic conversation skills, simulation video, presentations, impromptu speeches on topics related to students’ life, collaborative tasks and discussion. Learners were encouraged to exchange information with each other toward certain topic. While recording Instagram vlog was a compulsory assignment given every other week accounting 30% of the final grade. Beside fulfilling all the requirements mentioned previously to pass the course, learners were also required to attend 75% of all meetings and active participation in class or on Instagram. Summative assesments were in the form of two progress tests and one final test. The study adopted an action research design within the mixed-method research paradigm. The data collection tools consisted of pre- and post-tests, participants’ online Instagram posts and comments, questionnaires and a focus group discussion. Based on the data collected, participants’ perspectives were also discerned. Participants The participants of the study were 28 Indonesian-speaking first year EFL learners of English enrolled in Speaking I course at Sanata Dharma University. There were 8 male students and 20 female students with the age range of 17 to 20 years old. They were in their first semester at English Language Education Department, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education. The course was mostly delivered in English. None of them had studied abroad in English-speaking country. Data Gathering Technique Before and after the implementation of Instagram Vlog as an extensive speaking practice in this class, pre-test and post-test were administered in order to see the improvement made by the learners. IELTS speaking test task 2 was employed in order to get standardized criteria of evaluation. When the test started, learners were provided with some topic cards to be chosen. Then, they had one minute to plan their talk about the topic. The time allocation for each participant was 2 minutes. The whole process of the tests were recorded. The video of the tests were then analyzed using a speaking rating scale which measured learners’ pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, syntax and use of target language in general. The speaking rating scale can be seen as follows. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 116 Table 1. Speaking Rating Scale Score Pronunciation Fluency Vocabulary Syntax Use of Target Language 5 Phonetically correct Almost error-free Smooth flow Quick, continuous flow Natural pauses Very good; wide range Uses appropriate and new words and expressions Interesting response No grammatical errors Speaker self- corrects without hesitation Very good 4 Comprehensible, generally correct Occasional error Occasional hesitation, searching for words Speaker can self- correct and respond to cues Good, appropriate vocabulary Generally good response Two or fewer syntax errors Minor errors that do not impede communication Good 3 Frequent errors that confuse listener and require guessing at meaning Halting, hesitating Visibly translating before responding Can rephrase and respond Vocabulary is just adequate to respond No attempt to vary expressions Frequent errors Self – corrects on some errors Fair 2 Many errors that interfere with comprehensibility Frequent hesitations, searches for words Overly translates questions before response Repeats question word before response Inadequate vocabulary or incorrect use of lexical items Communication difficult Many errors (agreement, verb forms) Errors in basic structure Errors Impede communication Poor 1 Most utterances contain errors Many utterances are incomprehensible Little communication Constant searching for vocabulary, verb tense Does not complete utterances Does not complete responses Responses one or two words in length Vocabulary repeated Most structures incorrect Very Poor 0 No attempt The result of the pre and post tests were statistically calculated using SPSS 20.0. A paired sample t-test was performed on the data to determine whether there was a significant improvement on the pre- and post-test of the learners’ speaking proficiency. Six video recording tasks were assiged by the researcher to elicit their speaking practices. With the purpose of increasing the likelihood of classmates watching and interacting with each other (Bloch, 2007), the researcher chose to set up a private class Instagram account as a platform to which the learners could upload their vlogs. In addition to pre- and post- tests and the Instagram postings, questionnaires were distributed to the 28 learners to find out learners’ perceptions toward the implementation of Instagram Vlog recording into Speaking class. The questionnaire consisted of 24 close-ended questions and 3 open-ended questions. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 117 Figure 1. Data Gathering Technique Chart Findings and Discussion This section will present the implementation of Instagram vlog assignments in speaking class, the comparison of the learners’ scores on pre- and post-test results, and EFL Learner’s Perception toward Instagram Vlog The Implementation of Instagram Vlog Assignments The Instagram vlog assignments were held once every two weeks, except for the progress test weeks. Students were assigned to upload Instagram post of their video speaking in English on a given topic for about 1 minute – 3 minutes (using swipable carousel feature). Six vlogs were required to be produced by the learners in the semester to meet the requirement. The captain of the class was responsible to create one private class Instagram account for the whole members of the class in which everyone could upload their videos and provided caption which explained briefly about the content of the video. The following week, they will receive written feedback from fellow classmates and also the speaking instructor. The distribution of the topic can be seen in table 2. Table 2. Instagram topics, expected grammar and lexical sets Vlog # Topic Expected Grammar Expected Lexical Set Additional details Vlog 1 10 Facts about me present simple/ continuous tense Personal information Done individually Vlog 2 What do you like and dislike? present simple/ continuous tense Expression of Likes and Dislikes Done in pair (dialogue) Vlog 3 My family present simple/ continuous tense Family and job description Done in pair (dialogue) Vlog 4 Guessing the person Have got … To be + adjective Describing person Viewers have to guess the person being described Vlog 5 News report Past simple/ continuous tense Natural disaster Must use swipable carousel to present multiple scenes of the news (in and out the news room) Final Vlog Interviewing Foreigner All learning materials All learning materials Clips of the interview process Pre-test Instagram vlog tasks implementation Post-test Questionnaire distribution LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 118 Since the students have never experienced vlogging before, the instruction should be made clear. The captain of the class, who was previously apointed in the first meeting, was responsible to create one class acount which was accessible for the whole class members. Once the account had been created, the username and password were then shared through their LINE group. The regulations (dos and donts) should be settled on the class meeting. Due to time limitation, learners can only post one minute video. The time limitation enhanced their fluency and idea development to be well accomodated in the Instagram. The learners could retake and revise their video as many times as they desired which actually lead them into meaningful drilling of the oral performance to gain fluency. However, they were not allowed to use script or any memorization form while recording their talk. To encourage students to make interactions in the Instagram, extra points was given to those who provided comments for other friend’s postings. Beside giving comment on other’s postings, they were also required to do some self-evaluations by rewatching their own video and write their reflection on the mistakes they have made and their plan to improve their speaking skill. Sample of Vlog Assignment Instruction 1. You are expected to record a video of yourself (vlog) narrating ten facts about you in English. 2. The length of your video should not exceed 1 minute (single post). 3. Any kind of memorization or reading from a script will be subjected to the penalty of cheating which is a grade of zero on the entire assignment. 4. You are required to submit your video on Instagram account of our class. 5. You are required to write an interesting caption for your video and mention your Instagram account and also my account to get notified once feedback has been provided. 6. Comment on at least two friends will give you extra score on participation. 7. The deadline for this assignments is on September 3, 2017 (by midnight). Figure 3. Sample of Vlog Assignment Instruction LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 119 Figure 4. Some screenshots from the Instagram account Comparison of the learners’ scores in pre- and post-tests A paired sample t-test was performed on the data to determine whether there was a significant improvement between the learners’ scores in pre- and post-tests. Learners were assigned to deliver an impromptu speech for two minutes with one minute preparation on a given topic from IELTS Speaking task 2 format. The following is the result of the statistical calculation using SPSS. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 120 Figure 5. Paired Sample Statistics The results revealed that there was significant improvement between the learners’ scores obtained in pre- (M=72.32, SD=1.17) and post- (M=82.60, SD=.79) tests; t(9)=-8.46, p=0.000. This result shows that the implementation of the Instagram Vlog into EFL speaking class improved the learners’ speaking aspects (pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, syntax and use of target language in general). EFL Learner’s Perception toward Instagram Vlog From 28 students enrolling in the Speaking class, 26 students completed the questionnaire. The result of the questionnaire can be seen as follows. Table 3. The result of the questionnaire Aspects Items Mean SD Interpretation  Students’ perception toward Instagram Vlog 1-11, 24 4.26 .80 HIGH  Students’ motivation & self-confidence to learn Speaking 12-16 4.01 .88 HIGH  Students’ interaction 17-21 4.02 .82 HIGH  Technical problem 22-23 3.32 1.05 MEDIUM As demonstrated in Table 3, the analysis of questionnaire data shows that all participants exposed positive perception in terms of the use of Instagram in Speaking Class (M=4.26; SD=.80). From the open-ended questions, some participants stated that they expected to post on Instagram using English in the future with supporting comments such as, ‘This is a suitable method for me’, ‘I really enjoy this activity’ and ‘I would like to continue posting’. Furthermore, they also agreed if the activity increase their motivation and self-confidence (M=4.21; SD=.88). Since vlogging is a current trend among people of their age, this new experience was considered pleasurable for them. Additionally, Instagram created LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 121 opportunity for them to build interaction with their classmates (M=4.02; SD=.82) by providing comments and likes. It also boosted their motivation to present their best oral production because they realize the sense of audience existed. It is aligned with Vygostky’s sociocultural theory (1978) stated learners learn best by building interaction with others. The questionnaire also inquired about practical setback in the learning process and the result illustrated that half of the participants (M=3.32; SD=1.05) claimed that they encountered technical problems in the learning process. The technical problems identified from the open-ended questions were unstable Internet connection, time limitation on Instagram video feature, anxiety when talking in front of camera, and Internet data consumption. The main objective of this study was to share best practice on using Instagram video feature and examine whether the vlogging activity on Instagram as an extensive speaking practice would contribute to the improvement of EFL learners’ oral skills. The results of the statistical calculation and questionnaire reveal that the implementation of Instagram vlog in speaking class improved the EFL learners’ speaking proficiency at a significant level. Additionally, the descriptive data was coded for more applicable interpretation. When coding the data descriptively, some emerging themes were “Contributions of the Instagram vlog to the Learners’ Speaking Skills” and “Limitations of the Instagram vlog”. Contributions of the Instagram vlog to the Learners’ Speaking Skills Coding was made and emerging codes under this theme were “enhancing fluency”, “acquiring vocabulary items”, and “boosting self-confidence and motivation”. First, the learners stated that Instagram Vlog assignment enhanced their fluency since they had some opportunities to extensively practice their speaking skill outside the class. They also pointed out that the Instagram video facilitated them to review their weakness when eliciting the message. The video showed them that they excessively used fillers when they were thinking on vocabularies and expressions which distracted them as viewers. One participant felt irritated with her own the fillers she used since it affected the way she spoke in the video and yield in disfluency: “... the ııım, ııııh, and errr sounds in my talk really irritated me, I tried to stop any kind of unwanted sounds in my speech but I couldn’t help it. Once I had to retake the recording 8 times to actually meet my own expectations.” (Beta, Open-ended Questions)
 Secondly, more than half of the participants (63%) expressed the challenge they encountered with the time limitation. They mentioned that they could not convey their viewpoints completely due to the fact that Instagram video can only accommodate video with one-minute length. Due to that reason, learners need to practice to organize their ideas in such a way that it could be pleasingly and clearly conveyed in the video. From that activity, it can be said that Instagram Vlog enabled learners to independently identify their own weakness and find solution for the problem they encountered in the process. One of the learners mentioned how he benefited from Instagram vlog in the following way: LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 122 “At first, I thought that I have produced satisfactorily excellent talk. However, upon watching my video again, I just realized that I made ineffective repetition which hinders me from expressing my viewpoint within the allocated time. So, I repeat and replan my talk.” (Charlie, Open-ended Questions). Thirdly, vocabulary acquisition was a perceived gain of the Instagram vlog activity. Ten of the participants pointed out that they frequently paused their talk due to lacking of some lexical resources, and they had to retake the videos after they consulted their dictionary to look up the unfamiliar words. Further, they revealed that after looking up and using it on the video, they could easily remember the words that they used during their talk since they used it in context. It indicates that Instagram vlog helped them to acquire new vocabulary items. They also pointed out that they had a chance to learn from one another and gain more vocabulary items. Finally, some participants pointed out that viewing their own videos and seeing the progress they had achieved in the first and last vlogs encouraged them to gain self-confidence and increased their motivation to speak English more which contributed them a sense of achievement. Furthermore, they mentioned that sharing their videos with their classmates, though seemed to be formidable at first, provided them an opportunity to express themselves and created the best oral performance since others would view their videos. Limitations of the Instagram vlog Several issues related to the use of Instagram vlog as an extensive practice in speaking class occurred. First, the learners made the point that the Internet connection was always a concern for them. They had to spend time much more than they would expect to upload their videos to Instagram due to unstable Internet connection. Thus, the teacher-researcher suggested that it would be practical to shoot their videos from campus’ Wi-Fi connection, so they do not have to encounter connectivity problem and high data consumption from their own mobile phone. Secondly, they also exposed to the anxiety when talking to the camera. However, their anxiety can be tackled more easily instead of performing a role-play in front of the class. Some of them stated that this activity reduce their anxiety of being assessed. Learners supported each other to keep the anxiety at the lowest point. Thirdly, video duration was also considered as limitation of the Instagram vlog. They stated that they have to retake the video many times to accommodate their idea in the time limit. One of the learners pointed out how the duration limits her but boost her creativity at the same time in the following way: I want to talk about many things, but the video duration limits me from expressing what is in my mind. But I feel challenged because I need to be creative in the idea organization so that I won’t leave out important points of my talk. Then, I retake the video for a better result. (Aurora, open-ended questionnaire). By recording the video many times, they actually made a meaningful repetition essential for gaining fluency and accuracy in the speaking practice. It is in line with Akdeniz (2017) who stated that video recording gives learners an opportunity to LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 22, No. 1, April 2019 123 review how they perform over time, evaluate their speaking skills and becoming more critical of their own abilities which foster them in gaining the skills independently. The duration can also be extended through the swipable carousel feature on Instagram where the learners can post up to 10 videos in one posting. Moreover, the learners were also benefited from the use of Instagram because they can repeat the oral production as many time as they want without any time and space boundaries. Conclusion This research was conducted to explore whether Instagram vlog would enhance the EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. It also examined the learners’ perceptions of the use of Instagram vlog in a basic-level speaking class. The results yielded from the analysis of the pre- and post-test using an statistical scale indicated that the implementation of Instagram vlog into a speaking class contributed to the improvement of the learners’ speaking proficiency. Additionally, the analysis of the questionnaire demonstrated that the utilization of Instagram vlog contributed EFL learners’ on “enhancing fluency”, “acquiring vocabulary items”, and “boosting self- confidence and motivation”. Due to relatively short video duration, they were required to effectively convey their ideas maximizing their idea organization. Hopefully, the result of this study would contribute to the method of teaching speaking innovatively. Regarding methodological limitation of this study, a control group would help the researcher gain a better insight of how this innovative teaching method contribute to the oral proficiency compared to conventional method. Thus, I recommend future researchers to conduct an experiemental study which may yield more informative and contributing results. References Aydın, B. (2001). A study of sources of foreign language classroom anxiety in speaking and writing classes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Eskişehir: Anadolu University. Akdeniz, N. Ö. (2017). Use of student-produced videos to develop oral skills in EFL classrooms. International Journal on Language, Literature and Culture in Education, 4(1), 43-53. Blattner, G. & Fiori, M. (2009). 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