using gosoapbox to overcome the barriers of a synchronous online efl class

In the covid19 pandemic era, language teaching, like many other fields, became more than ever reliant on online platforms and media. as a solution to preserve language learning opportunities, the in-person efl classes had switched to virtual classrooms. a challenge presented to these synchronous online classes was to include each and every learner in the process of learning. therefore, ensuring that all the learners had a voice and felt included and heard was deemed necessary. to address this issue, the researcher of this study used gosoapbox in an online synchronous english speaking class with 27 intermediate-level efl learners. gosoapbox is a web-based student response system (srs) that has some unique features such as a confusion barometer, social q&as, real-time polls, and quizzes for formative assessment. these features can be further exploited by both the learners and the teacher to reach an optimum level of interaction and engagement, allowing all the learners to easily contribute and get involved. the researcher of this study employed a qualitative email interview design to collect data on learners’ perception of the implementation of gosoapbox in a speaking class. data from the email interview was gathered, read through, coded, and the emerged themes were interpreted. it was found that the learners generally perceived the use of gosoapbox quite positively. they expressed that not only did they find using this online tool fun, innovative and engaging, but also they found the course closely aligned with their language needs. they mentioned that instead of feeling threatened to express themselves, they felt motivated to participate in the class discussions through the use of gosoapbox. the implications of this study highlight the effectiveness of employing gosoapbox in language classes in both in-person and online courses to get the learners engaged and on the edge of their seats.