The Effectiveness of a Proposed Project-Based Program for Teaching Oral Skills to Tenth Grade EFL Students In Jordan and Their Attitudes Towards These Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effect of a proposed Project-Based Program on improving the oral performance skills of tenth grade EFL students in Jordan and on their attitudes towards these oral skills. Throughout her experience as a teacher and a supervisor, the researcher noticed that many students find it difficult to communicate orally in English. Even when they were to speak, they look worried, hesitant, and disorganized. The researcher proposed that this could be due to the teaching strategies used, the types of feedback students receive, the types of speaking activities in textbooks, or lack of opportunities to communicate orally. This study may derive its significance from the attempts to highlight the characteristics of Project –Based Program for teaching oral skills of Jordanian schools since these are normally ignored or least attended to by many teachers. The subjects of the study were 80 tenth grade female students who were chosen randomly from Um Nowareh Secondary Public School in Amman during the academic year 2013-2014. Three instruments were used to collect data for the study: An oral performance test (debate), an oral attitudes survey, and a rating scale. To answer those questions, the adjusted mean scores and standard errors were calculated. Multiviriate Analysis of Coveriance (MANCOVA) was also used  to find out if the differrences in the mean scores were statistically significant or not. The results of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences (?= 0.05) in tenth geade EFL students' mean scores with regard to their oral performance and to  their attitudes towards oral skills in English. Those differences were in favor of the students who were taught using project based learning.On the other hand , the results of the study showed that there were no statistically significant differences (?= 0.05) in the oral performance mean scores or attitudes mean scores that can be attributed to the interaction between project-based learning and students’ general level of English(good , avarage, poor ) except with students’ preferences and their total attitudes toward learning and teachng oral skills.Inlight of the results of the study , the researcher recommendes that  more research be conducted to examine the effect of project based learning on developing the non-verbal skills of EFL students at different grade levels. Training workshops for supervisors and teachers are highly recommeded to equip them with the knoweldge and practice needed to apply project-based learning in the oral skills classes. English language curricula planner are also advised to incorporate more project activities into the curriculm.

Keywords:Project-Based Program (PBP), Conventional method, Oral skills, Oral performance, Oral Performance scale, Attitude, Students' general level of English (GPA) .