Speaking Up: A Principled Curriculum Design for Enhancing Strategic Competence and Self-Efficacy in IELTS Learners
Keywords:
Curriculum design, Strategic Competence, IELTS SpeakingAbstract
This study presents the design of a short, intensive IELTS Speaking course tailored for Indonesian learners with an intermediate proficiency level (Band 5.5) aiming to improve to Band 6 or higher. Recognizing the challenges non-native speakers face in speaking performance, the course was developed through a principled curriculum design process consisting of five stages: Situation Analysis, Needs Analysis, Means and Strategy Analysis, Course Conceptualisation, and Course Specification. The design team used introspective reflection based on their own IELTS experiences, combined with established theoretical frameworks, to identify learner profiles, deficiencies, and appropriate instructional strategies. Key findings from the needs analysis revealed that learners struggled particularly with confidence and the use of effective speaking strategies such as paraphrasing and fillers to handle communication breakdowns. The course emphasizes communicative competence, strategic language use, and affective support, embedding confidence-building activities and milestone self-evaluations throughout 16 ninety-minute sessions conducted over four weeks. Instructional focus was prioritized on the more demanding Parts 2 and 3 of the IELTS Speaking test to address cognitive complexity. Formative and summative assessments, including diagnostic pre-tests and milestone checks, were integrated to monitor learner progress and guide instruction. The course’s affective components, informed by language anxiety and motivation theories, were found crucial for enhancing learner engagement and self-efficacy. While the design reflects contextually responsive pedagogy, the study’s reliance on introspective data and a small class size limits its generalizability. Future research should empirically examine the effectiveness of affective interventions and expand validation across diverse learner populations.
Downloads
References
Andrade, H., & Valtcheva, A. (2009). Promoting learning and achievement through self-assessment. Theory Into Practice, 48(1), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577544
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
Brown, J. D., & Hudson, T. (1998). The alternatives in language assessment. TESOL Quarterly, 32(4), 653–675. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587676
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/I.1.1
Cambridge Blog. How Long Will It Take Your IELTS Students to Improve Their Band Score? Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2021/07/14/how-long-ielts-students-improve-score/ accessed on March 15th, 2024 at 4 PM.
Christison, M., & Murray, D.E. (2014). What English language teachers need to know: designing curriculum (Volume III). London: Routledge.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Fay, R., & Slaouti. (2024). Scaffolding Your Needs Analysis (Lecture handout). EDUC70052. The University of Manchester, Manchester. MIE.
Fay, R., & West, R. (2024). Focus on Needs Analysis (Lecture handout). EDUC70052. The University of Manchester, Manchester. MIE.
Graves, K. (ed.) (1996). Teachers as course developers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Graves, K. 2000. Designing Language Courses: A Guide for Teachers. London: Heinle and Heinle
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Moradi Yousefabadi, M., & Ghafournia, N. (2023). The Impact of Self-Confidence on English Language Proficiency. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374056342_The_Impact_of_Self-Confidence_on_English_Language_Proficiency. accessed on March 13th, 2024 at 2 PM.
Nasution, R., Manuas, M., Ali, M., Pabur, H., & Tatipang, D. (2022). How Anxiety Affect English Achievement?: A Correlational Study of Indonesian EFL Learners. Language, Literature, and Education, 10(2), 321–337.
Nation, I.S.P., & Macalister, J. (2010). Language curriculum design. London: Routledge.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4
Schon, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds. & Trans.). Harvard University Press.
West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. Language Teaching, 27(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444800007527
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
