Students’ experiences and affective assessment of the Multimedia Language Laboratory at Universidad Nacional, Chorotega campus: an analysis through Krashen’s Lens

Abstract

This study focuses on the experiences of university students and their affective perceptions related to the use of the Multimedia Language Laboratory (MLL) at Universidad Nacional, Chorotega Branch. This research used the theory of the Affective Filter hypothesis by Krashen (1983) and a mixed-method design to collect qualitative and quantitative information from 96 undergraduate students from three different majors, English Teaching, Systems Engineering, and Tourism. The findings revealed that the MLL fosters confidence in students, it reduces their anxiety, and it improves their motivation thanks to the privacy it provides, the high-quality audio, and the opportunities for interaction. Students also reported improvements in the areas of listening comprehension, pronunciation, and communicative competence. On the other hand, some challenges like technical maintenance and the need for teacher training were identified. The study concludes making emphasis on the importance of taking into account the affective considerations in environments like that of the MLL, also there is also a need for a better infrastructure and pedagogical innovation to maximize the laboratory’s potential as a space for meaningful interaction and language acquisition.