Daily 6: An approach to foster spoken fluency of english as a foreign language

Abstract

​​This action research study examined the possible impact of implementing The Daily 6 to foster spoken fluency in eighth graders with A2 (CEFR). The Daily 6 works based on the affective domain (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1964) and the fosterage of motivation among EFL learners. These two factors are well-known as they influence the learning outcomes independently from language aptitude (Gardner & Lambert, 1972; Wigfield & Wentzel, 2007). The Daily 6 is a blended tool that exploits the appealing characteristics of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and the structure of The Daily 5, which includes (1) Read to Self, (2) Read to Someone, (3) Listen to Reading, (4) Work on Writing, and (5) Word Work. This study introduced the sixth step "Speak to Someone", to foster spoken fluency among participants. After 27 hours of implementation, the spoken fluency of the students was measured with temporal variables, namely, amount and frequency of hesitation, pauses, length of runs, inter alia. The gathered data displayed the improvement achieved by learners in their spoken fluency after the implementation, as well as positive changes in their attitudinal responses before, during, and after the implementation of the Daily 6. The significance of these results lies on the positive impact of the Daily 6 on the autonomous behaviors of learners, as well as their motivation towards learning English within a low-anxierty envrironment. These assets are a great contribution to teachers and learners in general, even though there are existing efforts to stimulate motivation and spoken fluency, the Daily 6 has proven to be a more practical and integral approach to enhancing spoken fluency.