Development of English Speaking Skill Using Task-Based Learning for Grade 8 Students at Secondary School, Okpho, Myanmar

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a Task-Based Learning (TBL) approach to improve Grade 8 students’ English speaking skill. The specific objectives were to identify students’ speaking needs, to design TBL activities to address those needs, and to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Twenty Grade 8 students at Secondary School, Okpho, Myanmar, were purposively sampled. The research employed a one-group pre-test/post-test pre-experimental design. Instruments included a needs-analysis questionnaire, a manual and eight lesson plans for TBL activities, a speaking skill pre-test and post-test, an observation checklist, and a student satisfaction survey. Quantitative data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, and paired-sample t-tests. The results showed a large gain in speaking performance after TBL: the average overall speaking score rose significantly (pre-test mean = 38.50%, post-test mean = 81.75%). Table 1 shows that all sub-skill means (fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, coherence) increased markedly, with coherence improving the most (by 57.1%). These improvements were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Students also reported high satisfaction: on a 5-point scale the mean satisfaction was 4.46 (SD=0.58), with 89.2% of ratings in the top category. The findings indicate that the carefully designed TBL curriculum greatly enhanced students’ speaking fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, and confidence, while also engaging learners in active communicative tasks. In conclusion, Task-Based Learning proved to be an effective, student-centered method for enhancing English speaking skill in this under-resourced Myanmar classroom. The study suggests that communicative, task-driven pedagogy should be further integrated into the national curriculum to foster meaningful language use.