DEVELOPING VOCALITY: AN AI-POWERED APPLICATION TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PROFICIENCY

Abstract

Students' English-speaking proficiency is often hindered by limited practice opportunities, high anxiety, and a lack of personalised feedback in traditional classroom environments. This Research and Development (R&D) study aimed to develop VOCALITY, an AI-powered web-based application, and to determine its effectiveness in improving the speaking proficiency of junior high school students. Employing the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, Disseminate), this research involved 32 students and three English teachers at SMPN 3 Lakbok. The process included a needs analysis, product development, expert validation, and a pre-test/post-test design to measure effectiveness. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test. The findings revealed two key outcomes: First, the VOCALITY application was validated by content and media experts as 'Very Good' (average score of 4.67), confirming its feasibility and quality. Second, the pre-test/post-test results showed a statistically significant improvement in students' speaking proficiency (p<0.05), with the mean score increasing from 62.50 to 78.75. The study concludes that VOCALITY is a valid and effective supplementary tool for enhancing speaking proficiency. The application successfully provides an autonomous learning platform that reduces anxiety and delivers instant feedback, thereby empowering students’ speaking proficiency and offering a practical technological solution for English language teaching.