The Impact of Opinion-gap Tasks on the Speaking of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of opinion gap task on the speaking ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To achieve this purpose, a null hypothesis was developed: opinion gap task does not enhance significantly Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ speaking ability. To test this hypothesis, the study used a Quasi-experimental design. The subjects consisted of 64 male and female students who were selected from among 90 intermediate EFL learners by applying a proficiency test. The participants in the experimental group received the treatment while the students in the control group received the conventional method. An oral interview was used both as the pretest and posttest. The results indicated that opinion gap task enhances Iranian intermediate EFL learners speaking ability, but not significantly enough to reject the stated null hypothesis.