Introduction

In the age oftechnology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) played a major rolein different spheres of life and is becoming an integralpart of personal lives. According to Grandisson(2020) video materialsare shown as an effective method in teaching English languageas a foreign language for all learners both inside andoutside classroom. As many researchers asserted that using video materialfacilitate memorizing language skills more than using other materials. Itis widely known that literature is a complex subject ofstudy for learners that’s why EFL teachers rely onthe use of YouTube Videos, in order to make communicationand understanding of the novel or story easier (Turan,2020). Videos are considered as one of the effective methods forboth teachers and learners. Since our inspiration is to discoverhow literary video novels can promote the communicative skills insidethe classroom.

Review of literature

the Novel has become morepopular in the second half of the eightieth century asan effective medium for displaying humans’ thoughts and actions. Noveltakes the form of prose in which it is writtenin a form of sentences. It is based on aplot and setting. It tells a story about a numberof characters who went through changes throughout the development ofthe events in which the characters communicate and interact. Therefore, the novel addresses various themes that are reflected through thecharacters of the story along the events, that is tosay that the novel can be read and viewed fromdifferent perspectives. It can be also read and analyzed inrelation to the writer’s own life in case thewriter reflects his or her own experiences, thoughts and emotionsin the novel through the representation of the characters.

Usingthe videos in the language classroom has a positive influenceon the learning and teaching process, particularly in classes. Yildiz(2019) argued the importance of literary communication through showing theinteraction of the reader towards the author according to somecircumstances, such as social, cultural… Fassbender(2020) explain the issueof syllabus arguing that the useful contribution of the taskdesign and its specification influence the task content and method. He added that there must be an outline for thesyllabus which meets the characteristics of language learning and teachingand concerned on presenting ELL in graphical, cultural and socialcontexts as well. Additionally, Sherman(2003) in his book entitled“Using Authentic Videos in the Language Classroom” stated that languageteaching material using authentic films and television is motivating andfun, however teachers are often unsure of how to usethis material in the classroom. According to him, using avideo in language classroom is not just a renewable resourceor   refreshing conventional textbook material, but also provides the learnerswith the accessibility and motivation, these acts can be usedmany times with new material to stimulate students and bringthe language alive. Moreover, Bajrami and Ismaili(2018) discussed“TheRole of Video Material in EFL Classroom” saying that videomaterial nowadays for them is not only a part ofeveryday life activities, but they are shown as an effectivemethod in teaching English as a foreign language for alllearners both inside and outside the classroom. They added videoscan be used in a variety of instructional and teachingsettings, as a way of presenting context, initiating discussion, forproviding illustration a certain topic and content self-study andevaluation situations, while Kusumawati(2020) considered visual novel as themost advanced technology window, especially for the youth age. Theyenjoy the various multimedia games, and watching visual effects thatare adapted to visual novel through its different devices. Therefore, Bastos and Ramos(2009) in their study on  tackling theuse of  technology for learning EFL on web and applicationson the impact of YouTube on promoting essential competences , addedthat teachers may turn to video technology to develop studentsreflective and critical thinking , the use of authentic learning materialthat engage second language learners to communicate  in real contextand foster the development of comprehension and communication oral andwriting skills and intercultural communication competences , plays a crucial rolein foreign languages. Similarly to Darabos et.al, (2020) whoconfirm that technology can offer learners many online materials andprovides them an incredible source of information , they shed thelight on the effective  role of the multimodal text foundin many YouTube videos for teaching English inside classroom asa supplementary material .Further they added that these websites canprovide students with everyday videos and authentic situations that mayhelp them improve their understanding and performance in English languagelessons. Likewise, Willis(1983) in his document“The potential andlimitation of video” video for him can be overused bya thoughtless programme planner or teacher who harnesses its potentialfor effective students control rather than effective teaching. According tohim students like video particularly when it is relatively newto them. For Willis the video is an obvious mediumfor helping students to interpret visual clues effectively.  Through hisstudy, he explained a personal experiment with his students, hestated that video is a teaching aid, and it canbe a valuable teaching resources, as textbooks or audio taperecording. Meanwhile McGovern(1983) stated that the suitability of televisionas a medium for bringing a living language to learneris undoubted, and the dynamic combination of sound and visioncan bring an air of reality into the classroom. Thewealth of visual information available can convey the atmosphere ofanother culture, it can show Para-linguistic aspects of communication. The techniques of television can present material to learners inways quite, beyond the resources of the language teacher Accordingto Sherman(2003) there are many types and ways touse video in many different purposes such as: Drama videos(films), Documentaries, TV news, Discussion, Interviews, TV shows, Game show, Educational fields. As Sherman added, that the use of videoscan be: As a complete recording. Exposing students to enjoythe watching, For the sake of encounter with culture. Forlistening comprehension to provide models of spoken language, as inputstimulus for other activities, as a moving picture book.

Furthermore, Hardley et.al, (2017) suggested techniques used for teaching Englishthrough video material in classroom; according to him video isa valuable and possibly underused classroom tool. There is alwaysthe temptation to simply put the video on at theend of term and let students watch a film withouteven challenging them to be actively involved.  The video materialinside the classroom from Hardley’s point of view, videoscan enhance learners’ listening experience and communicative activities, he emphasizedthrough an example of using a video in classroom thathe can add a whole new dimension to oral practice, the setting, action, emotion, gestures and others. That the studentscan observe in a video clip, which provides an importantvisual stimulus for language production and practice. He sheds thelight on three basic activities that involve pre-viewing, while-viewing, post-viewing as follow:

Split viewing:  In split viewingsome students are going both to see and hear, unlikewith other tools they only hear, students’ task is torelay on the scene that they have just witnessed.

Voiceyes /sound no:  In this process the vision onand the sound off, in order to make students guessthe content that they have watched, through these act studentswill improve the imagination stimulus.

Watch then write:Students areasked to write an article after watching and observing thescene, it includes the pre-viewing and while-viewing tasks; also it enhances the vocabulary and grammar skills.

Video dictagloss:  In this activity students need to use an effectivelistening skills and practice the dictation task while or afterviewing scene, they focus more on the actors’ dialogue.

Watchthen learn:It’s not different from the previous actso far, students try to pick up the minimum ofvocabulary from the spoken dialogue.

Video as a pronunciation tool:in this video, students are supposed to listen carefullyto specific phrases, in order to be able to pronouncethe sounds they heard correctly

Video as a listening/speakingtool: Through this video activity, students are going to doa conversation exercise in a jumbled text, then after viewingthe video they will check the answers.

Hardley et al(2017) used the video material in teaching English to adifferent levels and different types by applying different activities too, during watching the video inside the classroom. The method hefollowed push his learners in a way or another tohave the desire to learn, they engaged, motivated, interact, communicate, and practice the English language effectively.

 It is known thatmost of films and series are adapted from what iscalled novels, there are many examples as; Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games(adventure), The Bourn series. In addition tomany other genres that are based on various types ofbooks, Tapaswi et al(2020) believe that such adaptations areused to motivate the story understanding for both video andnatural language. The most important thing that the visual novelcontains is the whole picture for the characters and theirsurroundings which can be the main source for learning. Theydiscuss in details the difference between books and their movieadaptation; and stated some problems that usually encounter the originof the story for instance as, the presence or absenceof character, on the levels of sub-stories, differences atthe scene. Additionally, they focus on the transmission of abook to movie. It is derived first from an adventuregame that is named (sound story). After its huge numberof selling and publications to be later on known as(visual novels).  According to Bashova and Pachovsky(2016), Visual Novelis all multimedia elements such as text, Background, characters, music, sounds, it has interaction with player. Similar to Cavallaro(2010), who define visual novels as: “The visual novels typically articulatesits narrative by means of extensive text conversations complemented bylovingly depicted backgrounds and dialogue boxes with characters’ sprites determiningthe speaker superimposed upon them”, Cavallaro(2010, p.8). Throughthis quote, we understand that visual novels are considered asa full of storytelling; the same elements in any storyas a plot story, characters are presented in the visualnovels. Acts of characters express the scene based on manytechniques, in addition to the background and dialogue boxes; thereare also two main elements that may improve the viewerinteraction which are the sound and music. Nevertheless, Kusumawati(2020) argue that the development of visual novel is based mainlyon the choices of the story itself, and its scenarioin which the characters are going to present the wholestory and its development, visual novel for him is typicallya branch of the story.

Statement of the problem

studentsof EFL admit that many of them still face difficultiesin expressing themselves appropriately in English, this was proved byour observation undertaken in the English Department during a literatureclass of third year students at the University of Laghouat. While attending a fundamental module that is (literature) we noticedthat there is no interaction and communication inside the classroom, even if the teacher tried all conventional methods to motivatethem with the lesson, only a few number of goodstudents were involved and interacting. Moreover, we have noticed thatthe most of them are not interested, particularly in literature.

Aim of the study

 The current study aims to findout the effect of using video novel on the students’ communication skills. In addition, it tries to examine the useof technological tools inside the EFL classroom. Most importantly, toexamine the use of video novel in the process ofteaching and learning literature, and whether it can help theEFL students to communicate better and enjoy the atmosphere.

Research methodology

the current study has been conducted using the quasi-experimental method based that provides a comprehensive picture about theconcerned problem of the learners who are supposed to interactand communicate effectively while watching a video novel in literatureclassroom. The sample randomly selected represents20students of thethird year License English at Laghouat University, their age isbetween23and27years old. Moreover, the students receivedthe questionnaire in order to reveal their feedback while attendingliterature class on video novels. Whereas10teachers of literaturewere interviewed to back up the different perceptions of theirstudents on the innovative tool that is video novel.

Results and interpretations

results and Analysis of the Students’ Questionnaire

Thequestionnaire was delivered in a form of hard papers totwenty students in Department of English.  The questions were consistedof open-ended and closed-ended questions, and it ismade up of two sections; each part has its ownpurpose. The first section deals with the students’ communication problemsin literature classes, whilst, the second section deals with thebenefits and the significance of developing communication in literature classesthrough video novels.

 

Section one: students’ communication problems

question 01: How long have you been studying English?

Table (01): Students’ English studying Years

Options	Three years	More than three years
Number	16	4
Percentage	80%	20%

According to the table above, moststudents have been learning English for three years; however, theyare unable to effectively communicate in class, as their levelof English proficiency appears to be inadequate for the expectedlevel of communication after three years of study.

Question 02:Do you like studying literature? Why?

Table (02): Students’ Desiretoward Literature

Options	A lot	A little	No, at all
Number	2	15	3
Percentage	10%	75%	15%

By examining the table above, it becomes evidentthat the majority of students(75%) have a dislike forstudying literature, largely due to the challenges posed by lengthyliterary texts and the use of complex language in poems. The dislike of studying literature can have a negative impacton students’ ability to effectively communicate in English, as literaturecan provide a rich source of vocabulary and idiomatic expressionsthat can enhance language proficiency. Without exposure to literature, studentsmay struggle to expand their vocabulary and improve their understandingof complex language structures, leading to difficulties in communication. Therefore, it’s important to find ways to make literature moreengaging and accessible to students to improve both their interestand their proficiency in English.

Question 03: Do you face difficulties in communication in literature classes?

Table (03): Students’ CommunicationDifficulties in Literature Classes

Options	Yes	No
Number	17	3
Percentage	85%	15%

(85%) of students have difficulties inliterature class’ communication. This shows that the EFL learners reallystruggle with the literary works they study.

 

Question 04: What kind of literature do you prefer?

Table (04):Students’ Preferenceof literary works

Options	Poems	Novels	Short stories	Drama
Number	0	12	8	0
Percentage	0%	60%	40%	0%

The majority of the students(60%) preferto study novels and(40%) of the students prefer tostudy short stories. No one likes to study poems anddrama. Also they cannot understand the taught themes. Thus, theyconsider novels easier to be understood and interacted about.

Question 05: What do you prefer while studying the English Literature?

Table (05): Students’ Preferences in literature Class

Options	Reading books	Watching videos
Number	3	17
Percentage	15%	85%

The tableindicates that(85%) i.e, majority of the learners preferwatching videos in studying literature. Whereas, (15%) refers to thestudents who still prefer reading books. It is obvious thatEFL learners enjoy watching videos

Question 06: How many times you read the novel to understand the contents?

Table (06): The students’ time spent in reading and understanding the novel

Options	Once	Twice	More
Number	4	7	9
Percentage	20%	35%	45%

Through the analysis of the table, we notice that(45%) - the majority of the learners who claimed that they spendso much time in reading the novel and to understandit , and sometimes they repeat readings many times . Other learnersclaimed that they spend less time to understand the novelthrough reading(35%). Reading the literary pieces is too muchtime consuming for them.

Question 07: How often do you watch the video to understand the content of the novel?

Table (07): How often Student watch video novel

Options	Once	Twice	More
Number	7	10	3
Percentage	35%	50%	15%

The tableindicates that10students- (50%) understand the content of thevideo through watching it two times, and7students getthe meaning of the video form the first time. Watchingvideo novel is less time consuming for learners.

Question 08: According to you, can video novels enhance your literature level?

Table (08): Students’ opinion about the use of videos

Options	Yes	No
Number	17	3
Percentage	85%	15%

Thetable shows that the majority of the learners(85%) agreedon the idea that the use of videos in literatureclasses enhance and help them to improve their levels inliterature. They can through watching video novel in the classor even before understand easily the plot and themes, andtherefore they will be able to explain and express theirideas, opinions, emotions and experiences and develop critical assumptions aboutthe novel.

 Section Two: Robinson Crusoe’s Video

Question 01: Do you think that can you understand the story of “Robinson Crusoe” through watching video?

Table (09):Students’ opinionabout the understanding of Robinson Crusoe through watching videos

Options	Yes	No
Number	16	4
Percentage	75%	25%

 

Themajority of the learners(75%) argue that they can understandthe novel of Robinson Crusoe through watching the video. Theyclaim that watching videos help them to understand the novelwithout passing much time in reading and repeating without acertain result. While few of leaners, forming(25%) disagree claimingthat watching the video is not enough for them tounderstand the novel and analyze and cover it from differentperspectives.

Question 02: In your opinion do you think that watching the novel of Robinson Crusoe can enhance your communication skills more than reading it? Illustrate why?

Table(10):Students’ opinion about communication development skills in Robinson Crusoe’s   video

Options	Yes	No
Number	17	3
Percentage	85%	15%

Through The results of the above table(13.) We cannotice that(17) students believe that through watching the videoof Robinson Crusoe, they can develop their communication skills likespeaking and listening more than just reading because students learnnew words and have a chances to talk, discuss andcover the major elements of the novel which are easyto remember and to learn. However, the rest of students(3) state that the effective way for them to developcommunication skills is through reading in which students learn anew vocabulary, improve reading skill and involved with the contentof the literary text, covering its aspects.

Question 03: Do you consider that video novels are the most suitable tool for learning literature?

Table(11): Students’ opinion about the suitabletool for learning literature

Options	Yes	No
Number	16	4
Percentage	80%	20%

The table shows that the majorityof the students consider video novels as the best toolfor learning literature. According to them, watching video doesn’ttake time so that they can analyze and study avariety of novel and discus them from different perspectives aswell as they can develop a literary skills and deviceseffectively. on the other hand, a few students they weredisagree on that idea of using video as a toolof learning.

Question 04: Do In your opinion are there advantages of using video novels in literature classes? If yes, list some of them novels in literature classes.

Table(12): Students’ opinion about the advantages of using video

Options	Yes	No
Number	16	4
Percentage	80%	20%

Mostof the students(80%) believe that there are many advantagesof using video novels in literature classes as a usefuland effective technique to learn literature. According to them , bywatching video novels they can study the given material ina form of video in a short enjoyable time inwhich they can also cover the novel from different anglesthrough videos.one of the most advantages of the useof video novels is the communication skills in which thestudents have a chance to discuss and evaluate the givenmaterial as well as to build a strong relationship betweenstudents and the teacher where they learn to listen  eachother while speaking and to express their personal experiences andopinions related to the proposed topic. While(20%) of therespondents believe in the opposite, in which they consider theuse of video novels is useless and not enough inliterature classes.

Findings and Interpretations

Upon analyzing the questionnaire responses, it is evident that incorporating video novels into literature classescan significantly enhance students’ communication skills. This approach not onlyproves to be an effective learning tool but also motivatesstudents to study literature through the enjoyable medium of videonovels, leading to an overall improvement in their language proficiency.

The first part of the questionnaire further supports this finding, as the majority of students in literature classes express aliking for studying literature and consider themselves to be ofaverage ability. This underscores the importance of finding innovative waysto engage students in the study of literature, such asthrough the use of video novels, to enhance their interestand motivation in the subject matter, thereby improving their communicationskills in the process.

The results of the questionnaire indicatethat learners perceive video novels as a powerful and helpfultool in literature classes. Many of the student’s expressmotivation to learn and enjoy themselves while studying with thismethod. They find it easier to maintain their attention andfocus, and are more comfortable expressing their ideas and emotionsabout a given topic with confidence. Furthermore, they agree thatlearning through video novels enhances their communication skills, particularly speakingand listening.

In contrast, the majority of the students inthe study strongly disagree with the idea of reading booksas a way of learning in literature classes, as theyprefer the use of visual aids. They assert that readinga literary work is tedious and time-consuming, as theymust spend a significant amount of time reading and decodingwords to understand their meaning. As a result, they viewreading books as an ineffective method that neither helps themto study literature nor enhances their communication skills.

This findingis consistent with previous literature, which has also highlighted thechallenges of engaging students in literature classes and promoting effectivecommunication skills. However, it’s worth noting that a fewstudents in the study do find reading books in literatureclasses to be an effective method for learning. Nonetheless, theoverall trend suggests that incorporating video novels and other visualaids may prove to be a more effective and engagingapproach to teaching literature and improving communication skills among students.

The third section of the questionnaire focused on the students’ opinions about learning literature through video novels and its advantages. The analysis of this section indicates that a majority ofstudents find video novels to be an effective tool forunderstanding the novel of Robinson Crusoe and for conducting analysis. In fact, about80% of the students surveyed consider visuallearning methods, particularly the use of video novels in literatureclasses, to be a suitable and effective way to improvetheir communication skills and overall learning levels.

The students arguethat the use of video materials is essential to promotebetter learning and skill development in literature classes. They believethat teachers should adopt the use of video novels asa helpful technique to improve students’ communication skills in literatureclasses. The results of this section of the questionnaire supportthe third hypothesis of this project, which highlights the advantagesof using video novels in literature classes as a powerfulmethod to enhance the learning process.

Discussion of the Teachers’ Semi Structured Interview Answers

Question 01: Do you think that teaching video novels is useful method?

Most of our intervieweeshad long experiences of teaching literature and agree on theidea that teaching video novels is a useful method, asit helps students to learn and to develop communication skillsin enjoyable way.

Question 02: How can you find communication and classroom interaction after using video novels?

Answers to thesecond question showed that the majority of   teachers of literatureintegrate video materials in their classes. They find the useof video novels very helpful and help them to interactand communicate electively. Usually students don’t focus for along time in the classroom however the use of videosis the motivating tool that helps them to improve theirlevel and communication skills.  

Question 03: According to you, do you think video novels are an authentic teaching material in EFL literature classes?

Most of teachers of literature classesconsider that video novels are the authentic material that isused as effective methods. Thus, it helps to facilitate thelearning process for both teachers and learners. The majority ofteachers in literature classes prefer the use of video novelsas authentic materials especially in the age of technology.

Question 04: What are the advantages of using video material in literature classes?

In literature classes, all teachers agree onthe idea that video novels are powerful methods that facilitateboth the process of learning and teaching. According to them, video novels have a lot of advantages to achieve betterresults such as developing the student’s communication skills andlevel, it is also considered as a motivated tool inwhich students feel motivated and involved to learn and expresstheir ideas and opinion.

Based on the analysis of theinterview, the majority of English teachers in literature classes stronglyagree on the idea of using video novels in literatureclasses as a new powerful method of learning that facilitatethe task of teachers especially in our modern age. Accordingto them, they prefer to use video novels rather thanreading books in which it helps them to improve thestudents’ communication skills as well as to improve the interactionin literature classes.

The finding and results obtained from thestudy bring us to a high degree of interest andpositive affirmation towards the importance of Video Novel as ateaching material in the learning environment. From the current study, we found that the current method of teaching of one-way lecturing does not satisfy certain of the students’ needs, which revealed that teachers and students highlight the good contributionof Video Novels of creating a most attractive atmosphere, weremaking the students more motivated and get rid of theroutines. Correspondingly, Video Novels represent a new way of authenticinput that assists students in their educational setting which offersEFL learners with divers information and knowledge which give theman extra help in their English studies. However, the successof such technological tools depends on the good selection ofthe authentic videos by the teachers.  

Conclusion

communication is anessential skill in the process of EFL teaching and learning, yet it is often overlooked in language teaching curricula. Inthis research study, we aimed to identify the usefulness ofICT aids, particularly in education. Our focus was on theimportance of video novels in enhancing EFL learners’ communication skills. Video novels offer a new and authentic way of inputthat helps students in their educational setting. They provide EFLlearners with various information and knowledge, giving them an extraboost in their English studies. However, the success of thesetechnological tools depends on the teacher’s selection of authenticvideos.

Based on the main results, it is evident thatvideo materials can successfully help students to discover other cultures, thoughts, and emotions. Video novels assist in improving students’ communicationskills in an enjoyable and engaging atmosphere. We therefore recommendthe integration of video novels in EFL classes as away to enhance communication skills and promote effective learning.Hautdu formulaire