The integrated skills approach and the communicative competence in EFL students

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine if the use of the Integrated Skills Approach (ISA), for its acronym in English, influences or not in the development of the communicative skills of students of English as a Foreign Language. The research was carried out with the help of a group of 30 students of A1 level of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Technology Sciences at Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. The research approach was qualitative-quantitative since bibliographic material was used to support the research theory and descriptive statistics in order to clearly and concisely show the results obtained after the application of surveys and the pre and post-tests (instruments that were designed and used for data collection and that subsequently served to corroborate the proposed hypothesis). The instruments were applied to the 30 students; the results of the pre-test showed the flaws of students in the management of communicative competence. Therefore, the Integrated Skills Approach was applied for four weeks, adapting the material and the topics proposed in the syllabus as well as in the course book that belongs to the Pearson's Top Notch series. After finishing the four weeks using the approach a new evaluation (post-test) was applied to each one of the students. Once these data were collected and compared with those obtained after the application of the pre-test, an improvement in students' communicative competence could be noticed, this was why it could be determined that the use of the Integrated Skills Approach helps to improve the communicative competence in EFL students. Finally, a survey was applied to assess the students' perception toward their communicative performance, resulting in a positive point of view after applying the approach.