Speaker
Description
In the era of globalization, effective English communication skills are essential for secondary school students. This study focuses on the implementation and impact of an English-speaking club at a lower secondary school, designed to improve students' speaking and listening competencies outside the traditional classroom setting. The club organizes biweekly sessions that incorporate diverse interactive activities such as role-plays, surveys, question exchanges, and language games, tailored to students' age and proficiency levels. These activities create a motivating and low-anxiety environment, encouraging students to actively participate, enhance language reflexes, and build confidence in using English in real-life contexts. The findings reveal that speaking clubs not only support language fluency but also foster critical soft skills including collaboration, creativity, and communication. Moreover, extracurricular engagement reduces exam-related stress and nurtures students’ intrinsic motivation to learn English. The study recommends that educators integrate speaking clubs into the school curriculum as a complementary platform to formal lessons, offering flexible, student-centered, and meaningful language practice. Continuous adaptation of activities based on student feedback can further maximize the benefits, contributing to students’ overall language proficiency and holistic development.
Biography
I have been working as an English teacher at Thot Not Secondary School, in Can Tho City for 20 years. I am currently studying for a master's degree at Dong Thap Province University. I am very interested in doing research relevant to student autonomy and foreign language learning. At present, I am researching speaking clubs for secondary schools in Thot Not district. I believe that my research endeavors will make a huge contribution to improving the English educational quality at my school.
