Group dynamic assessment and speaking skills

Abstract

The general objective of this study was to analyze the impact of group dynamic assessment on speaking skills. In this research, a pre-experimental design was used where the population was twenty EFL students in the fifth semester of the university "Indoamerica" located in the city of Ambato downtown. Moreover, several instruments were used to collect data. First, a standardized Cambridge test (B1 preliminary speaking exam) was used as a pre-test and post-test to measure the intermediate level of the English language. This test was administered in three parts and was scored through the Cambridge "B1 Preliminary speaking rubric". Second, a three-question satisfaction survey was used at the end of the interventions. Instead, this research has a quantitative approach because it allowed the data collected with the instruments to be analyzed and discussed through tables. For the evaluation of the hypothesis, it was necessary to use the nonparametric test and the Wilcoxson statistic test. As the result of the first test was less than 0.05, the alternative hypothesis was accepted, and the null hypothesis was rejected. In the second test, students had a significant change of -3.220 when comparing pre- and post-tests. In addition, the survey results showed that most students enjoyed the activities, with "group discussion” standing out as the most popular. Finally, the findings of this research showed that the group dynamic assessment had a significant impact on the speaking skills of English as a foreign language student.