Amplifying Voices: Using Video-Based Assessment to Improve EFL High School Students’ Speaking Skills

Abstract

Speaking is a crucial skill in English language learning, yet many EFL learners struggle to improve their performance. This study investigates the impact of video-based assessment on high school students’ speaking skills and explores their perceptions of its use. Participants were 31 eleventh-grade students at an Indonesian high school. Data were collected from three video-based speaking tasks and follow-up interviews during six weeks. A qualitative design with descriptive quantitative support was used, combining descriptive statistics of speaking scores with thematic analysis of interviews. Students’ speaking performance was evaluated using Harris’s (1974) criteria: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. Results showed steady improvement, as the class average rose from 57.5 (Video 1) to 69.0 (Video 3), with most students moving from “poor/average” to “good/excellent.” Interview data revealed that students felt more confident, less anxious, and more motivated. They also valued the chance to be creative and practice English outside of class. However, they reported challenges such as repeated recordings, editing fatigue, background noise, and limited device storage. Overall, the study suggests that video-based assessment, particularly through Flipgrid, is an effective and engaging tool for improving EFL high school students’ speaking skills and supporting learner autonomy and reflection.