INCORPORATING COLLABORATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTED ORAL FLUENCY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS FILIPINO GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN ENGLISH AND IMPROVE ORAL FLUENCY

Abstract

In an eight grade English class in a public high school in the Philippines, students were reportedly struggling with their English communication skills, particularly in speaking. The limited speaking opportunities in the English classroom negatively affected the students’ confidence and oral fluency in speaking. This action research investigated how incorporating collaborative oral-fluency building activities and self-directed activities help address students’ anxiety in speaking English and improve their oral fluency. A four-week intervention program was implemented to an online class of 40 students held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through observations during online synchronous sessions and transcription of audio recordings of asynchronous student reflections. Qualitative analysis of data revealed the following results: thematic analysis of students’ reflections showed that collaborative learning activities helped address anxiety by providing a safe space for students to participate in speaking activities and connect with their classmates. Students gained more confidence in speaking after the intervention as they perceived their experience in English class positively. In terms of oral fluency, an analysis of observations made during synchronous classes showed that students exhibited progress in their use of the English language, vocabulary, pace, pauses and completeness of delivery of their speech in English. The intentional inclusion of collaborative learning activities in designing learning experiences in English, as well as further studies on improving oral fluency during impromptu conversations in class and in various modes of learning are recommended.