Using Ted-talks Videos to Enhance Students’ Communication and Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of TED Talks on improving communication and critical thinking (CT) skills among seventh-grade Omani students. The study selected a convenient sample of 71 seventh-graders from Welayyat Bidbid School in the Dakhiliya Governorate of the Sultanate of Oman. Data collection methods included a questionnaire, observations, and focus group discussions. Approximately 10 TED Talk videos were shown to two experimental group classes to assess their effectiveness in enhancing students' communication and CT skills. The study employed a descriptive design to collect and interpret the data. The findings revealed that students with high and above-average proficiency in English demonstrated noticeable improvements in communication skills, particularly in speaking and listening. These improvements were evident in several linguistic domains, including vocabulary, pronunciation, self-correction, and presentation skills, especially in body language. In terms of CT, students exhibited self-regulated learning skills such as planning, self-monitoring, and note-taking. Conversely, low-achieving students remained mostly silent during the implementation, struggling to engage with the content due to their lower proficiency levels, which hindered their ability to reflect on the authentic language presented in the TED Talks. The study also highlighted challenges faced by the teacher during the implementation, including the need to empower students with cognitive, metacognitive, and socio-affective listening skills. Additionally, selecting TED Talk videos that were age-appropriate, aligned with students' interests, and matched their proficiency levels proved challenging. The shift to TED Talk-based lessons also widened the gap between students, creating additional challenges for the teacher.