An action research study: Benefits of using active learning strategies and activities in speaking classes

This action research study was conducted to improve the students' level of participation in speaking classes by implementing collaborative communicative activities in speaking sessions at a preparatory school of a foundation university. An eight-week action research study was conducted with 25 A1 language profeciency level students during the speaking/listening sessions. During the instructional intervention process a variety of communicative activities was used in order to identify the types of activities that would motivate the students and increase their level of participation in speaking classes. More specifically, the instructional intervention consisted of active and animated speaking activities: group-chatting, small or big group works, practicing listening to native speakers using movies, commenting on the movie that the students had watched, making student presentations in the class. The data of the study were collected using student diaries, teacher-researcher`s field note, open-ended student interviews and a questionnaire. The results indicoted that creating a lively learning atmosphere was achieved by the aid of communicative approach. It also showed that the students work well together as a group. Regarding group work activities, the students expressed that working in groups could increase their confidence in speaking and participation in speaking tasks. This action research study has also increased the researcher's confidence to apply and adopt a number of possible activities to develop the participation of the students in the future. Keywords: Teaching speaking, speaking skills, communicative activities.