Instagram reels and speaking skills

Abstract

The present research project aimed to determine the effectiveness of Instagram Reels in developing the speaking skills of twenty-seven sixth-semester students at Universidad Técnica de Ambato. The study adopted a pre-experimental design with a quantitative approach, using a pre-test and a post-test adapted from the speaking section of the Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) examination to assess students' speaking skills. This standardized assessment measured four speaking components: grammar and vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation, and interactive communication. During the intervention process, students participated in activities based on the creation and use of Instagram Reels, including short presentations, storytelling, dialogues, and role-plays designed to promote communicative interaction and authentic language use. All activities were aligned with the content of the Roadmap B2+ book. The instructional process encouraged active participation, creativity, repeated speaking practice, and self reflection through digital resources. Data analysis was conducted using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). After confirming a normal distribution through the Shapiro–Wilk test, a paired-samples t-test was applied to determine the significance of the differences between the pre-test and post-test scores. The results revealed significant improvements in students' speaking skills, particularly in interactive communication and discourse management. Following the intervention, students demonstrated greater fluency, confidence, and communicative competence. The findings suggest that Instagram Reels enhances speaking skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context through the integration of digital and interactive learning experiences.