DEVELOPING LANGUAGE SKILLS THROUGH REAL-TIME COMMUNICATIVE TASKS: A CLASSROOM-BASED QUALITATIVE STUDY IN THE PHILIPPINE HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT

Niña Angelie Graciadas Daño, Mas Haryono

Abstract


Real-world communication competence remains difficult to achieve when English instruction is dominated by test preparation and form-focused drills. This classroom-based qualitative study examined how real-time communicative tasks influenced undergraduate students’ functional fluency and speaking confidence in a Philippine higher education context. Participants were ten undergraduate students (aged 18-22 years old; majors/programs: English Education) enrolled in a Purposive Communication course at one university. Initial English proficiency was profiled at the start of the term using standard proficiency test and reported as CEFR A2–B1. Across 16 weeks, learners engaged in weekly tasks such as role-plays, pair discussions, and information-gap activities and produced three to four guided reflective journal entries. Thematic analysis of the journals showed (1) a shift from accuracy obsession to meaning-focused expression that supported more spontaneous speech, (2) increased cognitive responsiveness through immediate feedback, negotiation of meaning, and self-correction, and (3) stronger willingness and self-confidence to initiate and sustain interaction beyond scripted classroom dialogues. Students also noted structural constraints that shaped implementation, including assessment practices that privilege written exams, large-class management demands, and uneven access to communicative resources and technology. Overall, pairing real-time interaction with guided reflection can strengthen functional fluency, but sustainable adoption requires alignment among curriculum goals, assessment practices, institutional support, and teacher capacity to facilitate unscripted interaction.


Keywords


classroom-based study; higher education; language skills; real-time communicative tasks

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ije.v19i1.94706

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