Teaching English Language

Teaching English Language

Enhancing Young Learners’ English Linguistic Competencies Through Group Work and Role Plays

Document Type : Original Article

Author
EFL State Educator, Instituto Comunitario Minca, Secretariat of Education of Floridablanca, Santander, Colombia
10.22132/tel.2026.503495.1782
Abstract
This study explored the impact of modern and active Communicative Approach strategies by assessing the use of Group Work and Role-play to enhance the English linguistic competencies of 30 6th-grade students from a Colombian public school. A quantitative approach with a one-group pretest-posttest design was applied. The YLE Movers exam from Cambridge Examinations was administered before and after the intervention to assess participants’ initial and final macro skills. Furthermore, to measure statistical significance, effect size and pedagogical efficiency, data were analyzed through a paired-samples t-test, Cohen’s d, and Hake’s normalized gain (g). Findings showed a statistically highly significant improvement across all assessed macro-skills (p < .001), with the most prominent growth observed in listening (t (29) = -16.86, d = 2.97, g = 0.65) and speaking (t (29) = -14.00, d = 1.48, g = 0.48). Thus, it was concluded that EFL learners' skills were strengthened through the implemented interactive dynamics within the Communicative Language Teaching approach. These outcomes suggest that traditional, grammar-heavy methods should be replaced with collaborative learning environments that foster genuine peer interaction and maximize foreign language achievement.
Keywords

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Volume 20, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 33-63

  • Receive Date 31 January 2025
  • Revise Date 09 July 2026
  • Accept Date 14 July 2026