Improving Speaking Skill Using Peer Feedback

Abstract

The current action research on peer feedback based on gamification to improve oral skills was carried out in a private-lesson English program in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The participants were A2 level students enrolled in different private institutions with high use of technology in their daily lives. The starting investigation within the English course, which comprised of the advancement of a supported monolog, made it conceivable to identify a few difficulties students had, such as a need of precision in linguistic tenses and plural things, battles to portray basic perspectives of their everyday lives, as well as elocution, the need of lexicon and familiarity. According to Brown and Yule (1983), speaking is the skill that the students will be judged upon most in real-life situations. It is an important part of everyday interaction and most often the first impression of a person is based on his/her ability to speak fluently and comprehensively. So, a big responsibility is expected from teachers in order to provide learners with effective tools regarding speaking and communication skills since it is the main aspect people consider when evaluating how good a person using a foreign language is. The current research project is aimed to improve speaking skills using peer feedback based on gamification to motivate students to take control of their learning process and be more conscious toward it. It will also focus on gamified tools and techniques to have learners associate their personal lives with the lessons to make the class more meaningful for these A2-level students. In fact, this process will them be aware of their learning and develop more autonomy.