EFL Teaching in the Amazon Region of Ecuador: A Focus on Activities and Resources for Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills

Paul F Gonzalez,Ana L Quinonez,Luz M Castillo,Paola A Cabrera,Eva Ulehlova,María O Arias,Cesar A Ochoa,Franklin O Espinosa,Lida M Solano

doi:10.5539/elt.v8n8p94

Abstract

Research on teaching listening and speaking skills has been conducted at many levels. The purpose of this study was to analyze the current implementation of classroom and extracurricular activities, as well as the use of educational resources for teaching both skills in public senior high schools in the Amazon region of Ecuador, particularly in the towns of Zamora and Yantzaza. The participants included 188 students between the ages of 15 and 18 years, and 10 English teachers in the area. This study was conducted using a mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) approach. The instruments to collect information were students’ and teachers’ questionnaires, teacher’s interviews, and observation sheets. In addition, the Cambridge English Unlimited Placement Test was applied in order to determine the students’ English proficiency level of listening and speaking skills. The findings revealed that the completion of exercises based on a listening passage and dialogues were the most frequent activities used by students to practice listening in the classroom; meanwhile, dialogues and repetition drills were the most frequent activities applied to develop speaking. With respect to extracurricular activities, listening to English music with lyrics, watching videos, discussions, and conversations with native speakers were most frequently suggested for enhancing listening and speaking. Among the resources, audio CDs and textbooks were the most frequent aids to prompt listening and speaking activities.

Highlights

The development of the four English language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing is fundamental for an effective learning of this language; success in the classroom can be achieved by integrating these four skills in language learning, under the supervision of the teacher (Davies & Pearse, 2000)
The purpose of this study was to analyze the current implementation of classroom and extracurricular activities, as well as the use of educational resources for teaching both skills in public senior high schools in the Amazon region of Ecuador, in the towns of Zamora and Yantzaza
The results show that the problems that Indonesian EFL learners face in developing their speaking performance relate to their linguistic and personality factors, and to the types of classroom tasks provided by the teachers

Summary

Introduction

The development of the four English language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing is fundamental for an effective learning of this language; success in the classroom can be achieved by integrating these four skills in language learning, under the supervision of the teacher (Davies & Pearse, 2000). Listening and speaking skills constitute primordial aspects when learning English, since in our highly globalized world, proficiency in English allows people to interact. This favors, among others, commercial, cultural, and professional exchange. With respect to speaking, Oradee (2012) declares that its mastery is essential when learning a foreign language since it is the basic skill for communication. This author affirms that speaking as well as listening are the most difficult skills to acquire for EFL learners

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