As an open university, Universitas Terbuka (UT) serves a diverse student population population largely composed of learners in geographically remote areas. Within the English Education Department, speaking courses are delivered through online and webinar tutorials, where tutors function as the primary facilitators of oral interaction. Although digital platforms and AI tools can help the learning process, meaningful interaction in speaking remains a challenge. This study explores how tutors experience the technological and pedagogical constraints of teaching speaking in this context. The data consist of 1,009 weekly reflective reports submitted by tutors during two academic semesters. The researcher adopts a qualitative approach and treats these reports as pedagogical texts that can give information related to tutor teaching experience within digital learning environments. Despite working in this kind of environments, tutor face challenges largely arising from student conditions such as inconsistent attendance, limited access to stable internet, and low confidence in using spoken English. In response, tutors adjust teaching strategies and manage emotional support to sustain learner engagement. Under these conditions, tutors often interpret successful speaking instruction not solely in learners' fluency, but in their confidence and willingness to speak. This study shows that speaking instruction still relies on tutor's, highlighting their role in managing interaction and learner support, and questioning the effectiveness of automation in developing speaking skills.

Authors:
Siti Hadianti, Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon

Last updated: 2023-02-23 23:45:00

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