Abstract

This study explored the impact of Breakout Rooms via Blackboard on language practice and peer interaction among Saudi EFL students at King Abdul-Aziz University. The study used a questionnaire as the main tool to collect data from 31 participants who had experienced Breakout Rooms in their online English courses. The data were analyzed using SPSS to obtain descriptive statistics of the students’ perceptions of Breakout Rooms. The results showed that the students generally had positive perceptions of Breakout Rooms in terms of language practice, peer interaction, and learning experience. The students strongly agreed that Breakout Rooms provided them with opportunities to speak and listen in English, to establish good relationships with their classmates, to collaborate and solve problems in English, to express their personal perspectives, to increase their confidence in using English, and to have a positive educational experience. The students also agreed that Breakout Rooms enhanced their critical thinking and interaction skills, and that they preferred to use the microphone to communicate and share their ideas. However, the students tended to disagree that Breakout Rooms had low levels of student engagement or interaction, or that they faced difficulties in internet connectivity. The findings of this study have implications for online language teaching and learning and suggest some recommendations for future research and practice.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.