Practice of Speaking English Language Fluency through Innovating Communicative Tasks

This study examined the effect of innovative communicative tasks on oral fluency in English among nine children aged 6 to 10 years enrolled at Fundación Submarino Amarillo in Manta, Ecuador. The research used a preexperimental one-group pretest-posttest design during a 35-day intervention. The pedagogical treatment replaced deductive grammar instruction with task-based activities, including information gap tasks, situational role plays, and mystery-solving tasks, all structured to increase Student Talking Time and promote meaningful oral interaction. Data were collected through oral performance assessment before and after the intervention, together with descriptive and correlational analysis of fluency, productivity, articulation, attendance, and formulaic sequences. The results showed improvement across all oral dimensions. Fluency presented the largest gain, followed by productivity and articulation. Individual progress was consistent across the full group, and the correlational analysis indicated a strong positive association between articulation and formulaic sequences, as well as a positive relationship between attendance and posttest fluency. These findings suggest that task-based communicative instruction can strengthen oral performance in young EFL learners when it is implemented in a structured and context-sensitive way. The study supports the use of communicative tasks as a practical strategy for increasing oral participation and reducing passive language learning in early English instruction.