Using WhatsApp for International Speaking Exam Preparation

Abstract

Computer based testing has become a prevailing tendency in education. However, the increasing importance of preparation related to this type of testing has hardly been addressed in academic research, and even less has been done to investigate using technology to prepare for these technological speaking exams. The WhatsApp application has become popular with the majority of students as a means of communicating to individuals and groups. I hope to show the benefits of using this common, popular messaging application for speaking preparation for an international exam. This case study approach uses three small groups of students from the University Del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia who are preparing for the TOEFL international exam. The sixteen students received thirty hours of classroom teaching which was supported by their WhatsApp group for exam preparation speaking. Simulating the exam conditions we aimed to investigate the benefits and perceptions of the use of WhatsApp for speaking preparation purposes. The study revealed that imitating the exam on WhatsApp proved a valuable and very positive experience for the vast majority of students. Familiarisation of the requirements, exam format and opportunities for self, peer and teacher evaluation were all noted as benefits although some issues of privacy regarding the technology was also raised.