Enhancing Young Learners’ English Linguistic Competencies Through Group Work and Role Plays

This study explored the impact of modern and active Communicative Approach strategies by assessing the use of Group Work and Role-play to enhance the English linguistic competencies of ۳۰ ۶th-grade students from a Colombian public school. A quantitative approach with a one-group pretest-posttest design was applied. The YLE Movers exam from Cambridge Examinations was administered before and after the intervention to assess participants’ initial and final macro skills. Furthermore, to measure statistical significance, effect size and pedagogical efficiency, data were analyzed through a paired-samples t-test, Cohen’s d, and Hake’s normalized gain (g). Findings showed a statistically highly significant improvement across all assessed macro-skills (p < .۰۰۱), with the most prominent growth observed in listening (t (۲۹) = -۱۶.۸۶, d = ۲.۹۷, g = ۰.۶۵) and speaking (t (۲۹) = -۱۴.۰۰, d = ۱.۴۸, g = ۰.۴۸). Thus, it was concluded that EFL learners' skills were strengthened through the implemented interactive dynamics within the Communicative Language Teaching approach. These outcomes suggest that traditional, grammar-heavy methods should be replaced with collaborative learning environments that foster genuine peer interaction and maximize foreign language achievement.

کلیدواژه ها:

communicative approach ، English language teaching ، Group Work ، linguistic competence ، Role-play