The Impact of Utilizing the Online Discussion Platform "Skype" for Collaborative Learning Activities on the Speaking Fluency of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

There are two main goals in the process of learning to speak: accuracy and fluency. However, language teachers and researchers have always considered accuracy the most important point in oral ability. Teachers try to motivate and increase their students’ speaking fluency. In order to increase the interaction between speakers and hearers, the use of online technologies as collaborative tools may help learners develop their speaking skill to speak more fluently. One of the familiar tools in using computer in communication is the online discussion panel of 'Skype'. Using this tool, students can see and hear their classmates and talk to them. The participants of this study were ۵۱ male Iranian intermediate students at a Language Institute in Hamedan, Iran. The study was conducted in three groups, two experimental groups and a control group. The first experimental group used Skype while did their speaking activities, the second experimental group did their activities collaboratively without Skype and the control group did their activitiesindividually. Kruskal Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis; the results indicated that collaborative language learning affects the speaking fluency of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Collaborative language learning using online discussion panel of Skype also helps improve the speaking fluency of Iranian intermediate EFL learners more significantly than collaboration without using this online discussion panel of Skype.