The Effect of Interactive Activities on EFL Students’ Speaking Performance: Durame Secondary School in Focus, Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of interactive activities on EFL learners’ speaking performance in Durame secondary school. The subjects of the study were 58 EFL students of grade 10 in Durame secondary school. Out of this, 30 were in experimental and 28 were in controlled groups. Quasi experimental pre and posttest research design was employed. The data were collected through teaching interactive activities for experimental group while teaching controlled group by traditional teaching method. Pretest and posttest comparison of each group was done by using paired sample T-test, and independent T-test which were used to compare experimental and controlled group. The findings of the study before intervention by using interactive activities, there was no significant difference between experimental and controlled group. Moreover, pre-tests and post-tests results of individual group did not indicate difference in students speaking performance. Finally, the EFL students in experimental group showed significantly different in speaking performance when they were compared to controlled group. Therefore, it is concluded that students’ speaking performance was improved due to the intervention made through interactive activities. The recommendations forwarded were: sampled secondary school, other English teachers in sampled school should disseminate the practice of teaching through interactive activities to improve students’ speaking performance; teachers should facilitate to bring radical change to students’ speaking performance and the curriculum designers should take consideration on the area. The finding pinpointed that there was significant difference between experimental and controlled groups of grade 10 EFL students in the secondary school speaking performance.