Interactive playful strategies and their impact with speaking development among eighth-grade students at Tufiño High School

Resumen

Promoting oral expression in English remains a challenge in rural settings, where technological resources, opportunities for interaction, and communicative practice are scarce. Since the purpose of this study was to examine the connection between interactive game-based strategies and progress in oral expression among eighth-grade students at the Tufiño school, located in the Ecuadorian province of Carchi, a non-experimental, cross-sectional diagnostic design was employed, characterized by a quantitative approach and the incorporation of qualitative measures. Thirty-seven students and two English teachers participated through a census. Data were collected via a 16-item student questionnaire, an oral expression test, observation checklists, and teacher interviews; three experts reviewed the instruments, and the results revealed that although group work was common (91.89%), the frequent use of tongue twisters (13.51%), riddles (18.92%), role-playing games (8.11%), and spelling competitions (21.62%) was limited. 70.27% of the students reported that they take frequent pauses when speaking; only 27.03% said they communicate fluently, and 35.14% stated that they speak accurately because, according to the results of the diagnostic test, 54.05% were at the A1 in development level, 29.73% at Pre-A1, and 16.22% at A1 (consolidated). Furthermore, 81.08% opted for role-playing games or group competitions indicating that the institution has a significant collaborative foundation but needs to incorporate recreational activities focused on oral production in a more systematic, contextual, and assessable manner.