THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING VISUAL AIDS TO PROMOTE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR THE 12TH GRADERS AT CAM PHA HIGH SCHOOL
Abstract
This study is an attempt to investigate the use of visual aids in teaching speaking to 12 graders at Cam Pha high school. The main purposes of the study are to find out: the current English speaking teaching and learning situation at Cam Pha high school; activities and techniques of teaching with visual aids applied by teachers and students’ preferences; the difficulties in learning and teaching English speaking and then give some suggestions for teachers to stimulate students in speaking and overcome the difficulties they have to face with in teaching speaking English for students. The study adopts action research approach, with the use of mixed research methods involving both qualitative and quantitative data. Two hundred 12th grade students and four teachers took part in the study. The findings show that the use of visual aids significantly enhanced students’ interest and engagement in speaking skills. Students also reported their improvement in various aspects of speaking skills. The study proposes implications and suggestions for using visual aids in improving speaking skills.