Evaluating the Impact of Video-Making Projects on English for Specific Purposes Learning: A Case Study

Active applications in EFL learning, such as video-making projects, enable students to apply and engage with the target language, thereby enhancing the motivation of non-English major students to learn a foreign language. The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to develop a course by using teamwork video-making projects; and (ii) to investigate students' attitudes towards video-making within a project-based English course. 45 second-year tourism students, enrolled in a mandatory English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) course for a semester at a private university in northern Taiwan, served as the participants. To enhance their motivation to learn, this study included a video-making project, which required students to work in groups, using English predominantly, to produce their videos. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, together with the results of survey questionnaires and selected interviews. The results indicated that students' learning performances and attitudes towards English learning benefited from the teamwork process, especially for those with lower levels of English proficiency. Learner motivation was found to be significantly correlated with their perceptions of the videos, regardless of their various levels of English proficiency. The majority of students expressed enjoyment in the video-making process but acknowledged the need for improvement in their time management skills, problem-solving abilities, use of various technologies, and capacity for social interaction and group work. Nevertheless, this study provided valuable indicators for future applications despite these shortcomings.