UPGRADING PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS IN LISTENING ANDSPEAKING SKILLS OF UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION LEARNERSTHROUGH ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES

Abstract

Phonological awareness plays a crucial role in the development of listening and speaking skills in second language acquisition. In upper secondary education, learners often struggle with pronunciation, sound discrimination, and oral fluency due to insufficient exposure to interactive learning environments. This study investigates the effectiveness of activity-based learning strategies in enhancing phonological awareness among upper secondary school learners. The research explores how structured communicative activities, collaborative tasks, and phonological games contribute to improving learners’ listening comprehension and speaking performance. A mixed-method research design was employed involving 60 upper secondary students. The participants were divided into experimental and control groups to evaluate the impact of activity-based phonological instruction. Data were collected through pre-tests, post-tests, classroom observations, and student questionnaires. The findings reveal that learners exposed to activity-based strategies demonstrated significant improvement in phoneme recognition, stress patterns, intonation, and oral communication skills. Furthermore, the study highlights the positive impact of interactive tasks such as roleplays, minimal pair activities, storytelling, and pronunciation games on learners’ motivation and engagement. The research suggests that integrating activity-based learning strategies into English language instruction can significantly enhance phonological awareness and oral proficiency in upper secondary education contexts. These findings provide practical implications for language teachers seeking effective pedagogical approaches to develop listening and speaking competencies. Ultimately, the study contributes to the growing body of research emphasizing communicative and learner-centered methodologies in language education