Using pre-speaking activities to increase pupils’ oral confidence in English

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of ‘The English Mode’ (TEM) in increasing pupils’ oral confidence in English. TEM is a self-constructed method, which contains pre-speaking activities that focus on authentic and spontaneous communication. Observation and experiences in schools show that many pupils do not participate orally in class, and are reluctant to speak English during English lessons. Research within the field of foreign language learning suggests that oral confidence and oral participation are vital components regarding pupils’ foreign language development and oral skills. Thus, it becomes important to investigate measures aimed at raising pupils’ oral confidence. My research questions is: How does ‘The English Mode’ influence Norwegian pupils’ oral confidence in English? The methodologies used to collect data were observation and interview, which aimed at investigating the results of TEM. The study has been complemented in a Norwegian school, with three pupils from level 8 to 10, and two teachers. The key findings of the study are the following: Firstly, using TEM has shown to be effective regarding increasing pupils’ confidence before oral presentations. Secondly, the data is ambiguous regarding TEM’s effect on pupils’ oral confidence during regular English lessons. There have been several factors influencing the results, such as learning environment, foreign language anxiety, group dynamic and learner beliefs, which have impeded the pupils’ willingness to participate in oral activities, and thus their oral confidence. The results show that TEM has had a positive effect on pupils’ oral confidence, yet the variety of influential factors have made it difficult to measure the extent of TEM’s effectiveness.