Classroom interaction and the speaking skill

Abstract

The present investigation analyzed the influence that classroom interaction has on the development of speaking skills. The population taken for this project was a group of 34 first-semester students of the Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales Extranjeros major at Universidad técnica de Ambato. A quantitative and quasi-experimental methodology was applied. The instrument used in this investigation was a pre-test and a post-test from the Cambridge KET (Key English Test) exam for A2 level, of which only the speaking part was taken into account, which consisted of two parts (a discussion and a conversation) that lasted 8 to 10 minutes per couple. Additionally, the treatment was based on applying interaction activities in the classroom, these activities were applied in the subject of Language and culture and there was a total of eight activities including icebreakers, debates, role-playing, digital dice, quick talks, discussions, and image description. For the application of these activities, the speaking stages were considered (lead-in, practice activities, and post-task activities) in order to optimize the management of speaking skills. The results obtained from the pre-test and post-test were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program, which showed that the students obtained an average of 6.42 out of 10 in the pre-test and an average of 7.25 out of 10 in the posttest, thus obtaining an improvement of 0.83 between tests. In conclusion, the use of interaction in the classroom improves the speaking ability of students.