Title: The Direct Method and Its Influence on the Development of English Speaking Skills

Author: Daniela Marisol Nevárez Rosado

Abstract

The present work focuses on one of the skills of foreign language learning: speaking. The research takes

the application of the direct method for the development of it. A study carried out on students and

teachers of Quinche Chavarría de Intriago Educational Unit shows that students have difficulties with the

oral production and interaction of the English language. One of the identified causes is the limited

application of methodologies that enhances oral abilities. On this direction, it is observed that the direct

method is not taken as an alternative to develop these abilities. The following methods are used in the

research: bibliographical review to analyze the fundamentals of speaking and the direct method, a survey

to teachers to collect information about the development of their students´ English speaking skills and

observations to English lessons to evaluate the level of development of English speaking skills in the

students. The results obtained lead to establish as objective of the work the elaboration of direct method

activities to improve speaking abilities. They include methodological guidelines for the implementation of

them. Pre and posttests are administered to determine the validity of the activities proposed and the

feasibility of application of such activities.

Key words: speaking, direct method, activities

Introduction

Speaking is one of the abilities that all human beings applied in their every-day life. It is

attached to practically all activities that take place in ordinary life. Its roots date back to anyone´s

childhood due to the primary character of it.

In relation to foreign language teaching and learning, speaking is viewed as a

fundamental skill. Its relevance is so significant that learners consider that mastering a foreign

language is directly associated to speaking as a success (Anggryadi, 2014).

 The fact that English has been assumed as an international language at present reveals the

importance of speaking for people. This issue should not only be associated to academic or

working activities but also to the understanding that English serves for other communicative

purposes related to travelling, joy, entertainment and ordinary activities such as the use of the

Internet.

Such social demands imply that teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) should

provide guidance and help to lead students to the development of this communicative skill

(Copland et al., 2020). Though speaking might seem an easy skill to teach and learn since it is

what people acquire first as a communicative ability in the developmental process of their

personality, it is in fact far from being simple, especially when learning a foreign language.

Speaking demands complex actions which imply not only a correct pronunciation but also

other linguistic resources such as suprasegmental units, pragmatic uses of the language, strategic

positions in a communicative and non-verbal aspects. Spoken language, according to Costas

(1992) also involves the listener´s knowledge under discussion and the context in which the

interaction takes places.

Brown and Yule (1983) specify two essential functions of speaking as a language ability:

the transactional function (transferring information) and the interactional (establishing and

maintaining social relations). They also conceive speaking as a negotiation of meaning since for

the transferring of information, social exchanges are carried out (ibídem).

The analysis of the sources above mentioned leads to the conclusion that the formation

and development of speaking in the teaching-learning of EFL is a complex process. It requires

the application of methods, techniques and procedures according to the students´ level, their

existing background knowledge, their interests and motivation. Among the different methods
that have been used for developing speaking abilities, the Direct Method (DM) arises as one

widely applied in foreign language teaching.

Haliwanda (2019) states that the DM is profitable for the development of students´

speaking abilities since they are exposed directly to the target language without any translation in

real-life situations. This teaching-learning context enriches students´ vocabulary and provides

them with opportunities to speak. The previous assertion allows to conclude that the DM can

offer objective possibilities to be used in an EFL class to develop and improve students´ use of

the oral language.

The present work focuses on the use of the DM for the development of English speaking

skills in secondary school Students at Quinche Chavarría de Intriago Educational Unit. The

research departed from a diagnostic study consisted of the analysis of the level of the speaking

communicative competence on students of such level of education. As a general result of the

study, it came out that they do not reach the expected level of competence in this ability. The

evidences show that the strategies used by teacher needed improvement. It is also noticed that the

use of the DM is not considered as a viable alternative to enhance students´ outcomes.

The situation above mentioned leads to reconsider the application of the DM in the

teaching-learning process of EFL in secondary school students of Quinche Chavarría de Intriago

Educational Unit. Consequently, this arises the pedagogical need of applying the fundamentals of

the DM to design and implement activities that positively influence on the development of

students´ speaking abilities. The idea to defend in this papers lies on: the implementation of DM

activities will contribute to the improvement of secondary school students´ speaking abilities.
 The sample is constituted by 20 eighth-grade general basic education students and one

English teacher who has direct contact with them. Those students are selected at random to

obtained reliable and objective data and have equal chances to participate in the study.

The activities included in this paper are based on the influence of the DM and the proven

positive effect it may have for the development of oral production and interaction, as essential

aspects within speaking as a foreign language ability. Its role is not overestimated. It is viewed

in terms of an alternative teachers may have to guide their students towards an effective

communication.

Literature Review

As it was stated in previous pages, speaking is part of everyone’s ordinary lives. It is an

ability that has features that distinguish it from other language skills. Thornbury (n/d) refers that

speaking is basically characterized by its linear character since it occurs in real time, at the

moment of speech. Consequently, it is distinguished a spontaneous activity which implies a real

time-processing (ibídem).

This same author explains that such skill demands an organizational process for the

elaboration and production of the message to be conveyed. From his point of view such process

consists of: conceptualization and formulation (selection of the adequate discourse level,

grammatical units and vocabulary), articulation (it implies the use of the organs of speech), self-

monitoring and repair (concretizing the necessary corrections in the communicative situation in

which language is used), automaticity (focusing attention of the key aspects of speaking required

in the context), fluency (considering the correct speech for language production, required pauses,

etc.) and managing talk (it implies interaction and strategic positions like taking turns, change

the topic or tone of the message, assertive communication, among other aspects).
 The analysis carried out by Thornbury (n/d) evidence that speaking is far from being a

skill easy to develop. Therefore, teaching this skill is also a complex process that involves

teacher´s creativity and innovation.

Teaching speaking, then, comprises key factors that teachers should keep in mind whiles

designing their strategies to develop this skill. Brown (1994) provides practical issues for the

teaching of oral communication. The aspects highlighted by him are summarized as follows: the

role of pronunciation. Brown (ibídem) assumes that it is important but it should be conceived

under rational terms, considering that native pronunciation (including accent free) is quite

difficult to reach in non-native speakers.

Brown (ibídem) also considers that teacher should keep in mind what to prioritize

accuracy or fluency. His position reveals that teaching speaking should be message oriented

(teaching language in use) rather than language oriented (teaching language usage). Though the

author emphasizes a communicative perspective, it should also be considered that accuracy

(language usage) plays a significant position in speaking. It should be viewed in terms of

necessary step to language proficiency and not as an expected outcome: it is a mean, not an end.

Finally, Brown (ibídem) adds two more important elements: affective factors (by means

of which teachers create a kind, secure and self-confident environment in the class for students to

speak without being afraid of making mistakes and feel ashamed). The interaction effect is the

other element pointed out by Brown (ibídem). He considers that teachers should guarantee a

class climate where students engage in the process of negotiation of meaning.

The development of speaking involves other relevant aspects to be taken into account at

the time designing speaking activities. The Council of Europe (2018) frames such skills in the

following directions: spoken production, understood as student s´ long turns to sustain a dialogue
to describe an experience, give information, put a case or address an audience about a topic,

depending on the level students are expected to reach.

Oral interaction is another described by the Council of Europe (ibídem). It includes two

or more participants who co-construct meaning. It is significant for the achievement of

interpersonal, collaborative and transactional functional. Finally, mediation becomes another

relevant category within speaking as a skill. It focuses on considering learners as social agents

who build spaces for communication and learning, collaborating to construct meaning. It is

regarded as an encouragement to construct and pass information in appropriate ways.

The development of speaking integrates the use of different techniques and activities.

Faxritdinovna (2023) uses the P.R.E.S. formula (Point, Reason, Example, Summary) technique

to have students to express their opinions a reveal their knowledge about a given topic. The

results of the study show that this interactive approach contributes to the improvement of their

speaking skills.

Henisah et al. (2023) develops a study by means of which applies the role-play technique

to enhance students´ speaking abilities. The results reveal that the use of this technique enhances

motivation, makes learning more enjoyable and bring positive outcomes during speaking

activities.

Ho et al (2023) apply different active learning techniques to develop their students´

speaking skills. The techniques they use are focused on think-pair share, group work and

questioning. The results derived from the application of them reveal positive perceptions on

teachers about implementing such types of techniques in their lessons. It also shows the

improvements students have after the implementation of the chosen techniques.

 Nguyen (2023) develops a study by means of which uses drama-based activities for

speaking to improve students´ speaking performances. The conclusions of the research expose

that such activities have positive effects for developing speaking, in particular in discourse

management.

As it can be noticed from the previous bibliographical review, there are numerous

practical activities that are used to develop speaking abilities. One of the choices, not included in

the above-studied sources is the DM.

Mahapatra (2014) exposes that in the DM speaking started with continuous emphasis on

pronunciation and the acquisition of vocabulary by means of gestures, demonstration and

pictures. Abstract vocabulary is taught through the association of ideas (ibídem).

Ghafoor (2015) sustains that the DM for the teaching of a foreign language is based on

the natural use of language, establishing a direct association with the mother tongue. Teaching

through this method implied obviating the use of the mother tongue and written rules (ibídem).

Abdulaziz (n/d) summarizes the main characteristics of the DM as follows: based on oral

speech, exclusion of translation and mother tongue in the lessons, attention to phonetics and

correct pronunciation. The author also determines that vocabulary is developed in context, as

constituents of sentences and using induction as the way to learn grammar (ibídem). The method

demands intensive language practice. Lessons are basically designed by means of dialogues

between students and the teacher, by means of which teachers ask questions based on previously

lexical and grammatical contents (ibídem).

Andriyani (2015) states that conversational activities play a fundamental role in this

method. The author affirms that the use of language in real contexts provides students with

ample possibilities to speak and think in the foreign language (ibídem). She also confirms that
the DM points at avoiding the use of the native language and translation as techniques for

teaching the foreign one (ibídem).

Sitorus and Silitonga (2019) also developed a study about the influence of the DM for

developing students´ abilities in speaking. The results they obtain demonstrate an enhancement

on the ability of speaking on the learner who receive the influence of the DM in the English

lessons.

The aspects discussed above evidence the use of the DM offers real possibilities to

improve students´ performances in speaking. The variety of studies and contexts covered in the

previous referenced studies can be taken as initial guidelines for the development of the present

investigation.

The DM has gained credits in EFL environments and constitutes the center of interest of

this investigation. However, it should me mentioned that there are some inherent aspects on the

method that required meditation. The attention to reading and writing is not key in the method.

This is an aspect that demands reflection since learners, as social beings, are also exposed

situations in which they should produce written materials and read a certain piece of information.

Though the aim of the present research is only related to speaking by applying the DM, it is valid

to point out that it is not the intention of the paper to overestimate the role of the DM. Its use is

viewed in terms of a plausible alternative to generate positive changes while dealing, either for

teaching or learning, with speaking as a foreign language skill.

Some authors also express that designing real-life situations can be overwhelming and

time-consuming for teachers. It was, in fact, a factor that affected the application of the DM

decades ago. Nowadays, the expanded use and access of Internet has made possible that a

considerable number if examples of this kind of situations are now available to practically
everybody. Consequently, taking such samples of situations and adapting them (if necessary) is

not at present a complex activity for teachers.

Methodology

The investigation belongs to the mixed type. It harmonically combines methods from the

quantitative and qualitative approaches. Since the study is focused on solving practical problems

associated to the teaching and learning of speaking as a skill in Quinche Chavarría de Intriago

Educational Unit, the investigation is also of the applied type.

A bibliographical review is used for the theoretical analysis of the sources related to

speaking as a foreign language skill and the fundamentals of the DM in the English lessons to

develop such skill. The review contributes to establish the bases upon which the DM activities

proposed in this paper rely on.

To determine the treatment given to speaking in the English lessons of the Educational

Unit referred, a diagnostic study is carried out. It consisted on the application of a survey to an

English teacher to gather information about the levels of performance of the students´ speaking

abilities (Annex 1). Five lesson observations are also applied to verify in practical situations the

actual speaking development of the students (Annex 2).

Once the data analysis is concluded, a set of DM activities is elaborated. Their design is

directed to overcome the weaknesses and reinforce the strengths found during data collection.

A preliminary analysis of the feasibility of application of such DM activities and its

validity is obtained by means of the application of a pre and a post test. For the application of

these tests the initial sample of 20 students is organized at random in two groups. One of them

undergoes the influence of the activities elaborated and the other is taken as a control group to

compare the results.

Results

The data collected from the survey applied to the eight grade English teacher reveal that

the perception the teacher has about the level of speaking development of the students is very

basic (equivalent to a Pre-A1 level according to the Common European Framework of

Reference). The information provided by the teacher sustain that students have a poor repertoire

of words and simple phrases related to personal information and specific concrete situations. The

interaction they can maintain with other partners and the teacher is very limited, showing

difficulties to ask and answer questions about personal details. Students are very dependent of

excessive repetition and the use of the mother tongue. These aspects come out as the main

weaknesses during the speaking lessons.

The referred that the main strengths of the students relies on their interest to learn English

and the discipline they keep in the lessons. This is a very positive aspect since motivation

becomes essential for the learning process.

According to the teacher, his speaking lessons are based on questions and role-plays,

activities in which students struggle due to their limitations in both, linguistic and

communicative resources. For his lessons, the teacher explains that he basically uses the

chalkboard and the materials included in the students´ text and workbooks. He also states that he

has to use a great deal of Spanish in the speaking lessons for both, introducing new items and

practicing them.

The integral analysis of the survey allows to conclude that the perception about the

speaking performance of the students is considered insufficient in relation to what expected them

to achieve. It is noticed that speaking lessons can be improved by means of other alternatives that

promote a more active use of the English language.

 The five observations to lessons partially confirm the points made by the teacher. The

table below summarizes the aspects that more systematically come during these observations.

Table 1: Summary of Key Aspects Detected During the Observations

Indicators for Observation Data collected

1. Materials Used In all lessons (100%) the chalkboard and students´

text and workbooks are used

2. Aspect Emphasized in the Lessons In 4 of the 5 lessons observed (80%) emphasis is put

on language oriented activities. Attention is centered

in pronunciation and correct use of grammatical

patterns. In only one lesson (20%) some activities are

message oriented.

3. Typology of Speaking Activities The 95% of the activities focuses on interaction,

basically on guided role-plays by means of which

students repeat or transpose a certain dialogue to

practice a certain grammatical or phonological

pattern.

4.1 Speaking Proficiency A poor level of speaking proficiency prevails in all

lessons.

4.2 Motivation Students´ motivation, interest and willingness to

develop speaking activities is moderate. It contradicts,

up to a certain extent, the criteria stated by the

teacher. Such result is consistent with findings of

other works since the feeling of frustration, anxiety

and shame to develop speaking activities is

 understandable and expected to appear due to the

limitations they have while using the English

language.

After the integral analysis of the data collected, a set of DM activities is elaborated to

overcome the difficulties found during the diagnostic studied. This paper includes a sample of

the activities that were created.

DM Speaking Activities Description of the activity

Chain description The teacher presents a picture with a part of a house with some

typical objects of it in the picture. Students gather in groups of

four. Each of them is asked to produce a sentence describing an

object included in the picture. The next student repeats the first

sentence and produces a new one describing another object. This

goes on till all four students have elaborated a sentence.

Cartoon Sequencing The teacher organizes students in pairs. He hands out each one a

set of pictures, asks them to order the set in a reasonable

sequence. After that, students should produce a sentence about

each picture.

Likes and dislikes The teacher selects some pictures including habitual actions

related to hobbies (swimming, reading, watching TV or videos,

listening to music, etc.). He places the pictures on his desk and

covers them. He chooses one student and asks him to uncover one

picture. The students will ask one of his classmates if he/she likes

the hobby represented in the picture. That student has to answer

the question and support his/her answer. After the discussion, the
 student who answers now has to uncover another picture and

select a new student to continue the debate about the new picture

uncovered. This is developed till all pictures have been analyzed.

Breaking in The teacher asks for two or three volunteers to become the

questioners of the activity. Those volunteers choose a topic:

holidays, friends, family, shopping, getting an address, etc., and

prepare some questions about the topic. The teacher, then,

organizes the class in small groups of 3 or 4 students. Volunteers

will approach each group and ask the members of it the questions

they have already prepared. The members of the team will answer

offering the required information or help.

On WhatsApp Call Students are organized in pairs. Each member has a card. One of

them contains questions and the other the answers about

conversation occurring in WhatsApp. The answers are not

sequentially arranged. After a question, the student with the card

containing the answers has to find the appropriate one according

to the question asked. After all questions are answered, students

will act out the dialogue, taking turns for questions and answers.

Transposing information Students work in groups of three. Each group is given a didactic

paper containing a dialogue with three characters. Students are

asked to transpose the dialogue, changing some pieces of

information like names, dates, addresses or any other they can

come out with. Each group will dramatize the transposed dialogue
 to the whole class.

Gap Solving This is a whole class activity that can be developed as a game.

The teacher reads aloud some sentences with a gap of

information. Students have to complete each sentence with the

appropriate word or phrase.

Examples:

- A man needs to go to work but it is raining. He needs ___ (an

umbrella).

- Mary likes watching movies. She should go to ____ (a

cinema).

- My favorite hobby is playing sports. Your favorite hobby is

______ (any logical answer).

The activities are partially introduced in the English lessons of eight graders. They were

naturally introduced to10 of the 20 students who were initially taken as part of the sample. The

other 10 students did not undergo the influence of the DM activities.

A pretest was applied to both groups of students. It consisted of a proficiency speaking

test. It comprised two sections: one directed to oral production. It was carried out by means of a

visual support (a picture) about which students had to offer information. The other part of the

test, oral interaction, was developed by means of a teacher-student interview. It covered the

following topics: greetings, asking names and saying names, describe a part of the house, locate

objects in that part, likes and dislikes and colors.

The results of the test are consistent with the ones obtained in the diagnostic study, in

particular the ones detected during the lesson observations.

 The application of the activities lasted for a period of two months, from January 2023 to

February 2023. The activities were implemented in the English lessons as part of the usual

teaching-learning process.

After the application of the DM activities a post proficiency test was applied to both

groups. The overall oral production shows higher levels of proficiency in the group influenced

by the DM activities. Students belonging to that group can produce simple descriptions and

presentation of people, living and working conditions, daily routines and likes/dislikes.

Students of that group also evidence a wider range in speaking by using basic sentence

patterns, phrases and words in order to communicate in ordinary situations. In relation to

fluency, they show advances in making themselves understood in utterances.

The interaction student-student and teacher-student confirm that those who receive the

influence of the activities are more actively involved in speaking than the members of the other

group. Interaction is also characterized, in the DM activities group, by the possibility of asking

and answering questions related to the topics.

Coherence is also improved in that group in relation to the control one. They were able to

use in appropriate situations connectors like “and”, “but” and “because”. Their pronunciation

becomes more acceptable than the outcomes produced by the students who do not participate in

the implementation of the activities.

As a summary, it can be stated that the group undergoing the influence of the DM

activities evidence improvement in its speaking proficiency. It reaches an A2 level meanwhile

the control group remains in an A1 level. Though the A2 level is still typical of basic users,

reaching this level, as compared to the initial test and the control group, shows a positive

influence of the activities proposed in this work.

Conclusions

Ecuador is one of the countries in South America that has assumed English as the foreign

language to teach at school. Such selection is based on the international character of this

language to establish and develop practically any kind of relations among people.

This context justifies the teaching of English at educational units in order to develop

communicative competence in that language. Within communicative competence, speaking

stands as fundamental skill due to the primary oral character of language and the common

interactions and human activities. Such issue supports the development of works oriented to

enhances this skill.

The present work identifies limitations on speaking in eight grade students in Quinche

Chavarría de Intriago Educational Unit. Since the DM has traditionally been applied for the

improvement of this skill, the study is centered in determining the influence of this method on

speaking in the students above mentioned.

As a result of the investigation, a set of DM is elaborated to overcome the difficulties

found during the diagnostic study. The activities combine the use of pictures and cards with

whole-class work, small-group work and pair work. These activities stimulate the natural use of

language in real-life situations, promoting various and rich interactions between/among students

and the teacher and students.

The findings obtained by means of the application of the DM activities coincide with the

ones of previous works. The implementation of this type of activities enhances speaking in terms

of oral production and interaction. Consequently, it can be concluded that they are a plausible

and viable alternative for developing speaking in EFL in eight grade students in Quinche

Chavarría de Intriago Educational Unit.

 The author of this paper recommends to extend the application of the DM activities

proposed to a wider range of students. This could enrich data collection and provide new

evidences about the impact of the speaking activities in students of the same grade. Since only

one teacher is included in the sample, it is also suggested to interact with other teachers, of the

same unit or other institutions, to share the results of the investigation and assimilate their

experiences while teaching speaking and using the DM in their lessons.

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