VietTESOL International Convention 2026

The increasing emphasis on communicative language teaching in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has highlighted the need for effective classroom practices that support the development of communicative competence. Among these practices, oral presentations are widely used; however, their contribution to different components of communicative competence remains underexplored in the Vietnamese context. This study investigates first-year EFL students’ perceptions of the role of oral presentations in developing communicative competence at a Vietnamese university. The study focuses on four components of communicative competence: grammatical, discourse, sociolinguistic, and strategic competence. Data were collected through a survey administered to approximately 80 students and a questionnaire completed by 6 teachers. The findings revealed generally positive perceptions of oral presentations across all four components. Students reported improvements in grammatical accuracy, speaking fluency, idea organization, interaction skills, and communication strategies. Teachers also expressed favorable views toward oral presentations, emphasizing their effectiveness in promoting active learning, student engagement, and communication practice. In addition, teachers suggested several ways to improve oral presentation activities, including providing clearer guidance, increasing feedback opportunities, encouraging interactive presentation tasks, and strengthening presentation skills through repeated practice.