Developing Extemporaneous Speech through Situational Language Teaching in ESL Classrooms: An Action Research Study

Abstract

The prime objective of the study is to explore the effectiveness of situational language teaching method in improving extemporaneous speech skills of ESL learners. Extemporaneous speech is an important life skill that is required to excel in academic and professional settings. Situational language teaching focuses on activities that are essential to master in real-world scenarios. The methodology employed in this quasi-experimental study is based on the principles of action research cycle. A convenience sample of 30 ESL learners from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur was chosen and subjected to extemporaneous speech tasks before and after the intervention of seven days long situational language teaching. The grading of the speaking activity of ESL learners was done by adopting the rubrics of IELTS test for speaking. The scores of pretest and post-test were subjected to paired sample t-test. The results of the study showed a statistically significant improvement in extemporaneous speech skills of ESL learners. Hence, the study recommends the incorporation of situational language teaching activities for the enhancement of extemporaneous speech skills of ESL learners as it augments the academic achievement, language proficiency, fluency, grammar, pronunciation, and self-confidence of students.