Improving english speaking skills through an intercultural and conversational approach
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Date
2025
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Abstract
This action research project explores the effectiveness of an intercultural and conversational approach to improving English speaking skills among 12 school students in Santiago, Chile. Given
the limited success of various educational policies implemented to enhance the quality of English as a subject, this study proposes a pedagogical design that may better support the attainment of spoken
proficiency.
The intervention design followed an action research methodology focused on iteration between action and reflection for constant improvement. Students from 9th to 12th grade participated in a pedagogical intervention to test the effectiveness of teaching English speaking skills through genuine intercultural interactions with fluent English speakers.
Participants were tested before and after the intervention on different dimensions of spoken social interactions: Linguistic, Strategic, Pragmatic, Interpersonal, and Intercultural. A mixed method approach was applied to attain a comprehensive understanding of the findings. Different levels of achievement are represented by numerical scores that were analyzed and contrasted quantitatively. Students’ attitudes and perceptions were also collected and analyzed to gain perspective into their subjective learning experience.
The findings indicate a general improvement in speaking performance across all areas, paired with increased satisfaction and confidence from students. These positive results could inform further
research and pedagogical efforts to develop better English-teaching strategies for communication. They may also help guide the integration of intercultural learning objectives into Chilean schools.
Description
Tesis (Magíster en Lingüística Aplicada al Inglés como Lengua Extranjera)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2025
Keywords
TEFL, Speaking skills, Interculturality, Action research