Treffer: THE PRACTICE OF EFL COMMUNICATION SKILLS AMONG STUDENTS WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS: FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE SPEECH PRODUCTION.

Successful communication in a foreign language refers to the degree of one’s understanding of the language; hence, it is at the heart of knowing a FL. It refers to the issue of linguistic knowledge and performance. For students of diverse backgrounds, however, many issues are encountered; students struggle with pronunciation, limited vocabulary, anxiety, low self-esteem. The majority also struggle with the cultural and contextual meanings and with the amount of time they need for speech production. This study refers to the experience with a group of 20 foreign students, enrolled at SEEU during the 2021/2022 post-Covid period. The lecture consisted of speaking tasks and activities, which were implemented in three phases: the first phase was the reflection phase, during which students were asked to reflect on their experience with speaking in a FL, the second phase was the implementation of the speaking activities and the last phase was the post-reflection phase and a summary of the experience. Students were also shown the difference between linguistic competence and performance and were provided feedback on the process of speaking, with emphasis on mistakes as being normal in the process. It was noticed that during time-based questions and inquiry, students provided quick replies and communicated with each other without stress or anxiety. They showed eagerness to participate in the activities even though the experience referred to an unknown presenter (professor). This was also the aim of the presentation i.e. practicing and using English without fear and with self-confidence. At the end, student feedback was also required. Apart from many positive remarks, students pointed out the fact that their self-confidence relied on whether or not the professor interrupted them or corrected them, thus, correction was regarded as negative influence in the overall process. The experience proved to be both effective and interesting for the student participants, and many experiences were shared and the participants were involved in active critical thinking. The activities, along with the procedure, the responses and the summary are also presented in the paper, along with implications and future recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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