Use of AhaSlides to Enhance Motivation, Satisfaction, and Cognitive Engagement Among ESL Students During Webinars

Abstract

The proliferation of digital tools in language learning has heightened the need to evaluate platforms that foster learner engagement in virtual environments. This study examined the effectiveness of AhaSlides, an interactive presentation platform, in enhancing motivation, satisfaction, and cognitive engagement among English as a Second Language (ESL) students during online webinars. A concurrent mixed-methods design was employed: 48 university-level ESL students who participated in a series of AhaSlides-integrated webinars completed a validated Likert-scale questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = .80) supplemented by one open-ended item. Descriptive statistics revealed high levels of learner response across all three constructs: motivation (M = 4.53, SD = 0.86), satisfaction (M = 4.49, SD = 0.88), and cognitive engagement (M = 4.47, SD = 0.89) on a 5-point Likert scale. Thematic analysis of the open-ended responses, following Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase framework, generated four themes: interactive learning encouraging active participation, a comfortable space for expression, sustaining attention and learning focus, and accessibility facilitating participation. Taken together, the quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that AhaSlides meaningfully contributes to the affective and cognitive dimensions of ESL learning in synchronous virtual environments, chiefly by lowering participation barriers and sustaining attention through gamified, anonymous, and easily accessible interaction. The study offers implications for the pedagogical design of webinar-based ESL instruction and extends the limited empirical literature on AhaSlides as a tool for technology-enhanced language learning.