Promote English speaking skills through playfulness

Fomento de la habilidad del habla en inglés mediante la lúdica

Abstract

This article presents the results of research carried out within the framework of the investigative pedagogical practice of a Bachelor's program in Spanish and English,oriented to seventh-grade students of an official rural educational institution. The objective was to strengthen the ability to speak in the English language through playful activities and to promote oral expression in the English language. It was mixed research, with a quantitative approach through a quasi-experimental design, the qualitative was developed from educational action research, which is divided into three phases; the deconstruction of pedagogical practice, in which interviews and surveys were applied and a field diary that facilitated a process of reflection; in the reconstruction phase, ten didactic sequences were designed taking into account the theories of the communicative approach, collaborative learning, interactionist theory and the monitor model of Krashen and finally, the pedagogical practice was validated. As a result, a significance of less than 0.05 was obtained for all study variables. Through the Wilcoxon test when comparing the initial test and the final test, a significant change was observed in the variables of pronunciation, fluency, and coherence, evidencing those students improved their oral expression in English. It is concluded that the implementation of games, audiovisual material, teamwork, and various recreational activities motivates students, facilitates the acquisition of learning, and significantly strengthens speech skills by providing security when expressing and interacting in a foreign language English.

KEYWORDS: English; educational game; speak; teaching strategy.