The Influence of the Communicative Language Teaching Approach for Improving English as a Foreign Language Speaking Skills in a Public School

Abstract

Abstract: The current study aimed to measure the influence of the communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach in improving students' English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking skills in a public school. The methodology applied to conduct this research study was a mixed design. This experimental study comprised 70 students enrolled in the 7th grade of basic education divided into an experimental and a control group. The instruments used were a pre, and post-test that were applied to the participants with the aim to determine their previous English level and their progress after the main intervention. Likewise, a rubric was used to assign a score to the answers provided by the students in the pre and post-test. Also, a survey was applied to evidence the students' perceptions concerning implementing the CLT Approach to enhance the students' speaking skills. Additionally, the teacher used observation sheets to record the participant's performance during the English lessons. The results of this study revealed that implementing the CLT approach and activities such as role-play, group work, and interviews helped to effectively improve the EFL speaking skills.