The lack of language immersion: an obstacle in the way of enhancing learners’ speaking skill: the Case of First year secondary school pupils.

Abstract

The present study brings to light the importance of language immersion in enhancing learners` speaking skill in English; more particularly, it tries to evidence that the lack of language immersion can impact detrimentally on students` achievement in oral performance while continual exposure of learners to the foreign language speeds up their acquisition of oral skills and forge their potential as effective communicators inside and outside the classroom. To do so, a case study was conducted in different secondary schools in Tiaret. Data were collected using a student-addressed questionnaire and a teacher-addressed` interview. After analyzing the data quantitatively and qualitatively, the obtained results revealed that language immersion is very efficient in enhancing and sustaining successful oral performance. The researchers found out that learners’ exposure to English should be extended beyond the sessions allotted to its teaching and should be used in transversally in the other different subjects.