Interactive language learning activities that enhance the oral skill

Abstract

“Speaking is one of the four necessary skills to have an effective communication in the mother language and especially when we are learning a foreign language. Goh (2007) describes that “speaking plays a key role in facilitation language acquisition and it is vital in language communication skill”. English oral skill must be developed enough as writing, listening, and reading to enhance communication with native speakers of English and with an international community; however, many teachers are not aware of the contribution of this skill and continue putting more emphasis on grammar aspects. Speaking seems to be the least skill practiced in the English classroom. Then, why students are not be able to communicate in a comprehensible and effective way in English? Many students find difficulties to communicate in English. These difficulties are caused by many factors that we have to take into consideration. Anxiety is one of the most important factors that affects language learning because it is common that students have feelings and worries about their performance in English and may become anxious when they make errors. Horwitz and Cope (1986) conceive ‘’foreign language anxiety as a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process’’.