Structured playful activities for enhancing communicative competence among efl Learners in upper basic education.

Abstract

This research evaluates the effectiveness of structured playful activities for enhancing communicative competence among EFL learners in upper basic education. It focuses on how role-plays and language games; can enhance the motivation, confidence, and fluency of the students in English. The study takes place in a public institution located in Manabí, Ecuador, with a sample of fifty tenth-grade students and three English teachers. A mixed-method approach is applied, combining interviews for teachers and a pre-test and post-test apply to students to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. These instruments will help identify students’ attitudes and perceptions toward playful learning, as well as teachers’ views about its effectiveness in communicative competence. A pre-test is used as a diagnosis of the academic performance, after which structured play strategies is applied. Subsequently, the post-test is carried out, which will serve to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. Results show that structured playful strategies create a more dynamic and engaging environment where students feel confident to participate and express themselves in English. Furthermore, the integration of playful methods enhances linguistic competence, social interaction, creativity, and motivation. In conclusion, structured playful activities are an effective teaching strategy that innovates within the classroom, facilitating the teaching process for both the teacher and the student, especially when the goal is to develop communicative competence, as they generate meaningful links with the class content, developing empathy, confidence, and assertiveness in self-expression.