EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Information Gap Activities in Teaching Speaking and Their Reflections on the Use of These Activities in Their Classrooms

Abstract

In teaching speaking, information gap activities are viewed as a useful tool which provides many advantages in teaching speaking language owning to the benefits it offers. Information gap activities give learners real motivation to communicate as they have opportunities to practice in actual situations. They give learners the chance to exchange information through communication. This research aims to investigate EFL teachers’ perceptions of information gap activities (IGAs) in teaching speaking English and to explore teachers’ reflections on the use of these activities in their classroom. The research adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data was collected using a questionnaire with 43 secondary school EFL teachers the Mekong Delta and in-depth interviews. We found that teachers interviewed had good perceptions of the use of information gap activities. Their knowledge of the roles, usefulness and characteristics of information gap activities as well as of how to use these activities effectively through their reflection on how they use these activities in their classrooms.

Estrategias para promover el uso del inglés en el salón de clases: el rol de las actividades con vacío de información.

“…Perceptions about a particular strategy or method is also a key topic in second language research since the human side must be considered in order to determine the effectiveness of strategies or methods. In the available literature, it has been found that participant students and teachers held both positive and negative opinions about information gap activities to build speaking skills (Defrioka, 2016;Amalia, 2019;Humaera, Jumiati, & Safei, 2022;Ismaili & Bajrami, 2016;Namaziandost, Hashemifardnia, & Shafiee, 2019;Ortiz, 2019;Duyen, 2021). One of the most prevalent opinions by the participants was that IGAs enabled them to communicate in real contexts, which gave them a sense of purpose and desire to use the language (Duyen, 2021;Amalia, 2019).…”

“…In the available literature, it has been found that participant students and teachers held both positive and negative opinions about information gap activities to build speaking skills (Defrioka, 2016;Amalia, 2019;Humaera, Jumiati, & Safei, 2022;Ismaili & Bajrami, 2016;Namaziandost, Hashemifardnia, & Shafiee, 2019;Ortiz, 2019;Duyen, 2021). One of the most prevalent opinions by the participants was that IGAs enabled them to communicate in real contexts, which gave them a sense of purpose and desire to use the language (Duyen, 2021;Amalia, 2019). Another aspect that they enjoyed and viewed as positive was pair work because of the friendly atmosphere that was created through which they felt less anxious and more willing to produce speech using the target language.…”