ORAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN GROUP WORK DYNAMICS

Abstract

This dissertation aims to explore how group work may be effectively utilized as part of the classroom dynamic to aid in developing oral English language skills. Specifically, we will look at one hundred under-privileged students studying English in the US funded English Access Microscholarship Program in Kasur District. In recent educational research, there has been great emphasis on the impact that group work can have on students' confidence, improving it to the point where they can exhibit their abilities without the interference or assistance of the teacher. The present exploratory study follows quasi-experimental methods to investigate the impact of group work on the speaking skills of these Access students over a period of three months. Research data has been collected through a pre-test and a post-test and two survey questionnaires designed for both the Access students and their English language teachers. We have adopted an objective approach to analyze and describe the data statistically. The major finding indicates that if group work is included in the classroom dynamic while teaching L2 speaking skills in PELT context, language teachers can raise the confidence and fluency of their students both in a classroom setting and social discourse. To conclude, if institutes and ELT experts put more emphasis on group formation in the classroom, students' fluency in L2 can be considerably enhanced. Key Words: