Abstract:
This qualitative case study examines how Ome TV, a video chat platform, can help
improve English speaking skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Students.
The study involved twelve English major students from Universitas
Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara who had used Ome TV for at least two months.
Data were collected through interviews and analyzed to understand how Ome TV
affects students' speaking confidence, fluency, and overall speaking ability. The
study used Miles and Huberman's data analysis method with three stages: data
reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing.The results show that Ome TV
helps students in three main ways. First, it increases speaking confidence because
students can practice in a relaxed environment without formal evaluation. All
participants reported feeling more confident, and this confidence carried over to
classroom and real-life situations. Second, Ome TV improves speaking fluency.
Students spoke faster with less hesitation, learned new vocabulary in context, and
improved their pronunciation by talking with native speakers. The real-time
conversations helped them respond more naturally. Third, Ome TV is effective
because it provides authentic practice with people from different countries. Students
are exposed to various accents and cultural expressions that they don't get in regular
classrooms. The study also found some challenges, including technical problems
and occasional inappropriate content. However, students learned to handle these
issues effectively. The findings suggest that Ome TV can be a useful supplement to
traditional English classes, especially for developing real-world communication
skills. The platform helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and actual
conversation practice.
