Effectiveness of Digital Language Laboratory Intervention on Writing Skills of Undergraduate Students from Regional-Medium Schools

Abstract

Aims: To study the effectiveness of the Digital Language laboratory intervention on the expressive skills, particularly writing skills, of undergraduate students from regional medium schools and to examine the learning outcomes Study Design: Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessment study with a paired diagnostic test. Place and Duration of the Study: This study involved 65 first-year agriculture and horticulture students from regional-medium schools, primarily from rural backgrounds and first-generation graduates. They were systematically and periodically trained in the language laboratory located at Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirappalli, after their class hours, utilising relevant software viz. Cambridge English in mind, Business vocabulary in use, Face2face, Learn to speak English – Lessons & workshops etc. Over a period of six months, all participants received the same pedagogical intervention. Methodology: The pre-evaluation test was designed to measure both micro- and macro-writing skills. Micro skills included spelling, syntax, and word usage, whereas macro skills focused on purpose and audience awareness, cohesion, and coherent writing. For practical and structured assessment, these skills were categorised into five major areas: content knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and mechanics of writing. The same methodology as practised for the pre-evaluation was adopted for the post-evaluation, to ensure consistency and accuracy. A Paired t-test was used to determine statistical significance of changes between pre and post-evaluation scores. Results: Pre-evaluation revealed that 38-89% of students required improvement in all areas. The post-intervention results prove improvement, with an average drop of 68.2% in the "Needs Improvement" category. Complete elimination of deficiencies was achieved in Content Knowledge from 38% to 0%, and 89% to 0% in Mechanics & Convention (89% to 0%). Combined Fair and Good proficiency increased significantly from 31.4% to 97%. Grammar demonstrated extraordinary progress of 87% improvement, while Vocabulary and Sentence Structure showed substantial gains of 60% and 67%, respectively.  Paired t-test analysis confirmed highly statistically significant differences between pre and post-evaluation scores (p < 0.001), validating the intervention's effectiveness. Conclusion: The structured intervention in the Digital Language Laboratory supported students from regional medium schools in developing their writing proficiency from foundational to intermediate levels. The intervention showed a remarkable impact in resolving fundamental writing difficulties, and continued instruction is recommended to achieve advanced mastery over the written competencies.