English Teachers in India Give a Thumbs-Up to Immersive Learning Modes via Videos and News Articles: ELTAI-Glibzter Survey

Subham Kumar

Oct 22, 2024 — 6 min read

ELTAI-Glibzter Survey

82% of respondents consider Videos, Podcasts, and Audiobooks with Subtitles, Closed Captions, and Transcripts effective for improving English Language Skills. Reading of News Articles and Editorials recommended by 78% of respondents.

COIMBATORE 22^nd October 2024: English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI) - the largest network of teachers of English in India, and edtech venture Glibzter have today released a report based on the insights secured from the EdTech for English Proficiency in India Survey 2024.

This survey is the outcome of a knowledge partnership between ELTAI and Glibzter encapsulating industry research, user testing, and event engagement. The survey report has been released in the run-up to the 18^th International and 54^th Annual Conference of ELTAI being held at Royal Global University in Guwahati (Assam, India) from 23^rd – 26^th October 2024.

With the theme of ‘Leveraging immersive mediums for English learning’, the survey aimed to secure insights from English Language Teachers (ELT) across India to assess the effectiveness of edtech interventions in improving English language skills among their students, particularly focused on learning through immersive modes such as reading, consuming audio-visual media and engaging in conversations.

EdTech Adoption and Integration into India’s ELT Classrooms

65% of respondents stated that edtech solutions complemented their in-class materials and delivery, with 69% agreeing that they have demonstrated the delivery of the requisite learning outcomes when used by students.
However, 54% of respondents believe such edtech solutions have limited effectiveness unless students have a strong learning interest.
75% of respondents belonging to the categories of University / College Professors, and School Teachers attribute improved English language skills of students to English Labs set up on campus. These labs have helped improve listening (75%) and speaking (72%) skills of students, but have fallen short in improving reading (59%) and writing (46%) skills
Beyond mobile apps, virtual meeting platforms, and cloud-based document-sharing solutions, only 40% of ELT practitioners surveyed were aware of browser extensions for English learning.

Appetite for ‘Immersive’ Learning Modes

YouTube videos of English learning channels trump English learning apps as the highest recommended knowledge resource by ELT practitioners
82% believe watching videos with English subtitles/closed captions, and listening to audio podcasts with English transcripts has the potential to improve one's English proficiency.
Better contextual understanding by linking situations to word and phrase usage (81%), improved pronunciation (69%), and higher engagement (58%) were the top reasons attributed to the effectiveness.
80% of respondents felt that immersion in an English-speaking environment by listening to and engaging in conversations with native English speakers was the most effective way to improve English language skills, followed by listening to Radio, Podcasts, and Audiobooks in English (79%), reading high-quality English textual material in the form of books, newspapers, magazines including their online versions (75%).
78% of respondents recommended reading news articles and editorials to improve communication skills in English, followed by fiction (70%), social media posts (56%), and non-fiction (50%)
AI-powered speech assessment at 44% least preferred immersive mode for Spoken English practice among survey respondents. Peer-to-peer speaking practice (74%) is considered most effective followed by practicing with English teachers in person offline or via virtual meeting platforms.

The survey report also ranks the different modes of EdTech relevant to the domain ELT basis their perceived effectiveness in delivering learning outcomes. In-class edtech interventions for conducting quizzes and file sharing; platforms facilitating virtual 1:1 meetings and flashcards for vocabulary building were the top three modes adopted by ELT practitioners in India.

“The survey has highlighted a key fact that edtech solutions which give ELT practitioners greater control over learning outcomes and which help simulate a classroom setting with personalization are the ones which are easier for them to adopt”, said Dr. K Elango, Chief Executive Chair, ELTAI.

Emphasizing on the importance of reading, he said, “How we communicate is a direct function of what we read. ELTAI launched the India Reads movement last year to encourage tweens in schools and colleges to practice the habit of reading book-based fiction and non-fiction. The survey reveals a trend of ELT practitioners encouraging students to read news articles and editorials, besides underscoring the effectiveness of audio-visual media resources with subtitles to improve English language skills.”

Dr. Xavier Pradheep Singh, National Secretary, ELTAI said, “As we embrace EdTech in our classrooms, we unlock new pathways to reading literacy. By engaging students with digital texts and tools, we create a dynamic learning environment where reading becomes an immersive and enjoyable journey.”

Speaking about the survey insights on immersive modes of language learning, Varun C Bhagath, Founder and Chief Co-learner, Glibzter said, “Language learning has and always will be an immersive process. The challenge is to facilitate this learning digitally by building engaging digital tools that can replicate this immersive process. The survey validates our business through insights such as immersive modes being effective only if there is a systematic process of learning built into them.”

He adds, “With 74% of ELT practitioners agreeing on the effectiveness of consuming audio-visual content in English and 62% on reading high-quality English textual content in building and expanding one’s vocabulary, Glibzter is on the right track in terms of its product strategy. We will look to create awareness about the role of browser extensions for immersive language learning among ELT practitioners, students, and working professionals going forward.”

About ELTAI

The English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI) is the largest network of teachers of English in India with 60 active chapters having more than 5000 English language teachers and 150 trainers all over India.

The association provides a forum for its members to meet periodically and discuss challenges and new pedagogic processes related to teaching English in India, besides promoting professional excellence and solidarity among its members.

It undertakes innovative projects aimed at improving learners’ proficiency in English through four Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – Literature, Learning Technologies, Teacher Development,, and English for Specific Purposes.

It publishes four journals and an e-newsletter, conducts teacher development programs, workshops, and webinars, and offers consultancy services among others.

To know more, visit: eltai.in

About Glibzter

Glibzter (Incorporated as Glibz Imagetech Private Limited) is a Coimbatore-based edtech venture aspiring to become the ‘Grammarly for Soft Skills’ by building interactive digital tools, assessments, and personalized online and offline events for imparting personality development education.

Currently focused on improving communication skills in English of students and working professionals, it has developed Glibzter Immersive, a browser extension that automatically curates English words and phrases for contextual practice from online English news articles from select media channels, and from videos being streamed on select OTT video platforms with English subtitles/ closed captions, all in real-time.

Glibzter has been supported by the Incubation Centre of IIT Patna, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and was among the top five startups in Stanford Seed Spark South Asia Cohort of 2023.

For more information, visit: glibzter.com

About the Survey

The EdTech for English Proficiency India Survey 2024 is the result of a knowledge partnership between the English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI) and edtech venture Glibzter, commissioned with the following objectives:

Survey Objectives

To assess the effectiveness of EdTech interventions in improving English language skills among Indian students
To assess the effectiveness of 'Learning by immersion' i.e. English learning through reading, consuming audio-visual media, and engaging in conversations.

Survey Period

The survey was conducted from 30^th September 2024 to 10^th October 2024

Methodology

The survey was conducted online by mailing the survey link to the participants.

The individual responses were then collated, and the collective insights shared in this report

Participants

The survey was taken by 375 respondents.

64% of survey participants were University/ College Professors, 13% were School Teachers, 10% were Research Scholars, 8% were Principals, 3% were Verbal Ability Faculty at Coaching Centres and the remaining 2% were Communication Coaches.

You can access the Survey Report here: glibzter.com/research