Enhancing the English-speaking skills through ECRIF: A preliminary study

Abstract

Introduction. The English-speaking skill is a productive skill that requires a lot of practice and the use of creative strategies; therefore, students learn the language following stages that allow them to speak it spontaneously and fluently. ECRIF (Encounter, Clarify, Remember, Internalize and Fluency) is the way to achieve this goal. Objective. Analyze how ECRIF Framework facilitates the planning of activities to develop the speaking skill. Methodology. To accomplish the purpose of the study, the researchers took a sample of 32 students, 18 males and 14 females whose ages range from 12 to 14. The research was conducted under a quantitative approached using an experimental design and a document analysis technique which was developed online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, ten consecutive sessions, which were conducted through the Zoom App and WhatsApp, were necessary to collect data. The instruments used in the study included a pretest, a posttest and a rubric for the speaking skill. After the treatment, and once the data was collected, the SPSS software, Wilcoxon test and Shapiro-Wilk test were used to analyze the data and validate the hypothesis. Results. The obtained results showed that ECRIF Framework certainly facilitates the planning of activities to develop the speaking skill among teenagers because each stage offers clues and enough practice to speak with accuracy and spontaneity. Conclusion. The researchers found out that the students who participated in the study showed a significant improvement of the speaking proficiency level because ECRIF Framework facilitates the planning of activities which go from teacher-controlled to spontaneous student-initiated activities.