Analyzing the Incidence of the CTL Approach of English regarding the Writing and Speaking Skills in 11th grade and A1 level students in Colombia

Abstract

This paper represents action research that explored the implementation of a pedagogical intervention using CTL to improve students’ production skills in 11th grade students of a public school and A1 language center students. The primary focus of this approach includes linking to practical scenarios, proactive learning, introspection, teamwork, genuine evaluation, and ongoing enhancement. These foster an engaged, significant, and learner-focused educational setting that encourages students to comprehend their own learning journey and enables them to relate it to real-world circumstances. This qualitative action research study was carried out in two different contexts: a school and a language center. Data were gathered through field notes (observations), questionnaires and pre- / post-intervention spoken-written artifacts. The results indicated that the implementation of CTL improves students’ production skills by showing good performance and achievement of criteria set for the tasks proposed. Moreover, it was found that CTL fosters students' learning process as it increases their engagement in the English lessons and promotes collaborative work; this creates a safe environment where students are eager to learn and actively participate.