Reading clubs as a strategy for the improvement of the reading and speaking skills in the English language in the first semester students of the University of Cauca

Abstract

The aim of this quantitative and qualitative research study was to determine the effectiveness of reading clubs on speaking skills in students of the first semester of the modern languages program at a public University. The data collecting base was composed of observations, field diaries, interviews and a pretest to diagnose students ‘speaking difficulties. The information showed that students presented fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation and accuracy. As pedagogical intervention, short stories were used to enhance speaking skills. A pretest and a posttest were conducted to measure students’ speaking at the end of the research. Results displayed that some of the students improved their speaking skills. It also showed that other students needed to keep working on their oral skills.