Collaborative output tasks and speaking skills

Abstract

The current descriptive study describes the students' perspective on collaborative output tasks to improve speaking skills, 66 students (42 females, 24 males) agreed to participate freely and voluntarily. Data collection was collected through a survey that contained 22 items on a Likert scale and three open questions. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient validated the instrument with a value of 0.947, and expert validation. The results highlighted that the collaborative output tasks most frequently used by students are group discussions and presentations, these being popular in the academic environment. Also, various speaking strategies were identified to enhance oral skills, highlighting the use of technological applications to master pronunciation and the use of body language as primary strategies, given that students value clarity in oral expression. Additionally, findings indicated that students perceive greater effectiveness in role-playing and group presentations, as they contribute to improving fluency, increasing confidence, and expanding vocabulary repertoire. Teachers must strike a balance when using collaborative output tasks because if they use them repeatedly, students tend to get bored and it is good for them to know a variety of tasks to help them improve their speaking skills.