Self-Efficacy and Speaking Proficiency Development through Communicative Language Teaching: A Case Study of College Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47709/educendikia.v6i01.7939Keywords:
Communicative Language Teaching, Speaking Self-Efficacy, Speaking Proficiency, EFL College Students, Case StudyAbstract
This study examined how speaking self-efficacy and speaking proficiency developed through Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in an undergraduate EFL classroom at STAI Ma’arif Magetan, Indonesia. A qualitative case study design was employed. Data were collected from repeated classroom observations across an eight-session CLT unit, semi-structured interviews with twelve students, instructional documents, and students’ speaking task recordings rated descriptively with an analytic speaking rubric. Observational evidence showed increasing student talk time, frequent pair and group interaction, and growing negotiation of meaning as tasks progressed from information-gap exchanges to problem-solving discussions and short presentations with Q&A. Thematic analysis revealed five pathways of self-efficacy growth: mastery experiences from successful task completion, peer support, supportive feedback, systematic scaffolding, and emerging self-regulation strategies. Performance evidence from recordings indicated noticeable improvement in fluency and interactive communication, alongside gradual gains in intelligibility and vocabulary range, while grammatical accuracy improved more modestly. Triangulation across interviews, observations, and performance samples suggested a positive cycle in which higher self-efficacy increased willingness to speak and persistence, thereby expanding practice opportunities and strengthening proficiency. The study concludes that CLT, when implemented as a coherent system of progressive tasks, scaffolding, and constructive feedback, can effectively support confidence-building and speaking development in higher-education EFL settings. Pedagogically, instructors are encouraged to sequence tasks from low-stakes interaction to higher-stakes performance, provide language support, and use feedback that prioritizes intelligibility and next steps. Limitations include a single-site case and a short observation window; future studies may compare multiple classes and track longer-term retention of gains.
References
Adem, H., & Berkessa, M. (2022). A Case Study of EFL Teachers’ Practice of Teaching Speaking Skills Vis-À-Vis the Principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Cogent Education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2087458
Chang, P., Zhou, L., & Zhang, L. J. (2024). The Roles of Task-Specific Self-Efficacy and Enjoyment in EFL Learners’ Development of Speaking CALF: A Longitudinal Study. System, 125, 103539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103539
Demirdöken, G., & Okur, A. (2023). Psychometric Properties of Speaking Anxiety Scale and an Interdisciplinary Investigation with Serial Mediation. The Language Learning Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.2123920
Gilmore, A. (2015). Authentic Materials and Authenticity in Foreign Language Learning. Language Teaching, 48(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444814000296
Goh, C. C. M., & Burns, A. (2020). Teaching Speaking: A Holistic Approach. Language Teaching, 53(3), 299–321. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444819000238
Ho, Y. Y. C. (2020). Communicative Language Teaching and EFL Undergraduates’ Communicative Competence in Tourism English. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 27, 100271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2020.100271
Huang, L., & Johnson, S. (2021). The Effects of Audiovisual Aids on EFL Learners’ Speaking Proficiency. Language Teaching Research, 25(4), 512–530. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820943535
Leeming, P. (2024a). The Effects of L2 and L3 Language Thinking, State Anxiety and Speaking Self-Efficacy on Second Language Spoken Task Production. Language Learning, 74(4), 1059–1092. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12640
Leeming, P. (2024b). Willingness to Communicate, Speaking Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Communicative Competence as Predictors of Second Language Spoken Task Production. Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12640
Rahman, M., & Ismail, N. (2020). Effectiveness of Audiovisual Media on ESL Learners’ Oral Communication Skills: A Meta-Analysis. TESOL Quarterly, 54(4), 893–912. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.512
Sun, P. P. (2022). Strategic Self-Regulation for Speaking English as a Foreign Language: Scale Development and Validation. TESOL Quarterly, 56(4), 1369–1383. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3132
Wang, C., & Sun, T. (2020). Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Language Proficiency: A Meta-Analysis. System, 95, 102366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102366
Wang, Y., & Sun, P. P. (2024). Development and Validation of Scales for Speaking Self-Efficacy: Constructs, Sources, and Relations. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0297517. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297517
Zhang, L. J., & Ardasheva, Y. (2019). Sources of College EFL Learners’ Self-Efficacy in the English Public Speaking Domain. English for Specific Purposes, 53, 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2019.01.003
Zhang, L. J., Ardasheva, Y., & Austin, B. W. (2020). A Mixed-Method Approach to Investigating the Relationship between L2 Public Speaking Self-Efficacy and Performance. English for Specific Purposes, 59, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.03.003
Zheng, C., Li, Y., Wang, C., & Zhou, Y. (2023). Self-Assessment First or Peer-Assessment First: Effects of Video-Based Formative Practice on Learners’ English Public Speaking Anxiety and Performance. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1946562
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Arum Putri Rahayu, Hendra Sudarso, Ahmad Fathir Imran, Azhariah Rachman, Himaya Praptani Adys
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
