Class discussions based on cultural aspects to foster the speaking skill among high school students.

Abstract

This research study arose from the lack of opportunities students had to communicate and express their ideas regarding the content they had already learned using English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Speaking as a linguistic component in EFL is one of the most important skills in this context as it enables students to have better interaction and communication. This qualitative participatory action research study aimed at exploring the contributions that class discussions based on cultural aspects have on eleventh graders from Jorge Eliécer Gaitán High School in Florencia, Caquetá. Each intervention process in this research was developed using Argawati’s (2014) cycle; the cycle was composed of three guidelines: greeting, main activity, and closing. The class discussions were conducted following the ‘group investigation’ method to give students more opportunities for participating and exchanging ideas. The surveys, field notes, and audio-tape recordings were the instruments to gather the data during the intervention. The findings suggest that it is beneficial to use class discussions based on cultural aspects in EFL to promote students’ participation, and thus, evidence significant progress in the EFL speaking skill. Besides, class discussions based on cultural aspects make EFL learners be constantly practicing, requesting information, sharing ideas, and concluding regarding the cultural aspects, fostering a meaningful development of their speaking skill.