Scientific Report of Action Research in Developing English Speaking Skills of Intermediate Level Learners

Abstract

Abstract: When one was asked about competence in other languages it would certainly sound odd to be questioned “How many languages do you write?” A question such as “How many languages can you understand (or read)?” makes more sense, but usual question is “How many languages do you speak?” Speaking is the main skill by which a language acquired. These action research aims to develop speaking skills of intermediate level learners, who cannot catch up in speaking English with their peers during extra lessons. Based on interviews carried out to get initial data on the speaking skills, it was found out that the students had problems in speaking due to low listening skills and poor comprehension which in turn made the learners felt unconfident to speak. To help the learners, task-based learning was adapted through an action research in nine (three week) additional classes. Five learners participated in this study. The data were taken from the results of the pre-test to post-test, interview, and observations. The findings show that the use of task-based learning can help learners improve their speaking skills of four indicators assessed: listening skill, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension.