The effects of a personalised learning plan in a language MOOC on learners’ oral presentation skills

Abstract

This study explored the impact of a personalised learning plan (PLP) within a language massive open online course (LMOOC) on the oral presentation skills of EFL students in Thailand. It also investigated students’ attitudes to the LMOOC.  The research was conducted with a sample of 178 university students enrolled in a compulsory academic English course, English for Academic Studies. Following the pre-test, in which students delivered an oral presentation, they participated in a five-week LMOOC on English presentation skills, integrated as a blended component of their course. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, post-test scores were analyzed, comparing students’ performance gains from the pre-test to the post-test. Additionally, students' attitudes towards the personalised learning plan (PLP) were explored through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Students demonstrated statistically significant gains in post-test scores across both presentation performance and language proficiency metrics, with greater improvements observed in language proficiency criteria. However, while the pronunciation criterion also showed statistically significant gains, the effect size was small, suggesting a limited practical impact. This finding underscores the need for more explicit instruction and targeted feedback to enhance pronunciation development in the learning process. The students generally expressed positive attitudes toward both the personalized learning plan (PLP) and the LMOOC implementation. The findings suggest that when pedagogically designed and systematically implemented, a PLP within an LMOOC can serve as an effective approach for enhancing oral presentation skills and may contribute positively to the overall language learning experience.