DESIGNING PROJECT-BASED TASKS FOR EFL SPEAKING: MODELS, STAGES, AND CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Speaking is often seen as the most challenging skill for learners of English as a Foreign Language, especially in classrooms where students have few opportunities to interact and teaching focuses mainly on grammar drills. In such contexts, learners may know the language rules but still struggle to speak fluently and confidently. Project-Based Learning has gained increasing attention as an effective way to address this problem because it places speaking within meaningful, goal-driven activities that require learners to communicate for real purposes. This article synthesizes recent research on project-based language learning to illustrate how speaking projects can be systematically designed to support EFL learners’ oral development. Grounded in constructivist and sociocultural views of learning, this article discusses key theoretical foundations, reviews major models of project-based speaking, and explains the main stages and classroom techniques involved in implementation. The reviewed studies indicate that well-designed speaking projects can improve oral proficiency, lower speaking anxiety, and increase learners’ behavioral and cognitive engagement. Simultaneously, the findings suggest that learner agency does not develop automatically and needs to be intentionally supported through task design. The article concludes by considering the practical implications for EFL teachers and pointing to future research directions, particularly in relation to long-term speaking development, learner agency, and the use of emerging technologies.