USING COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' SPEAKING SKILLS

This research article examines the effectiveness of communicative activities in enhancing the speaking proficiency of secondary school students. Developing oral fluency remains one of the most significant challenges for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners due to psychological barriers, such as speaking anxiety, and a lack of interactive environments. The study was conducted at Secondary School No. 25 in the Kyzyltepa district of the Navoiy region, involving a purposeful sample of 50 students from the 6th, 7th, and 9th grades. Following a qualitative action research design, the study implemented various communicative tasks, including role-plays, information-gap activities, and logical games like "Alibi." Data were collected through structured observation tables and teacher reflection journals over a four-week period. The results indicate that 70% of the participants (35 students) demonstrated a measurable improvement in fluency, lexical diversity, and communicative confidence. The findings suggest that shifting from teacher-led instruction to student-centered interactive tasks effectively lowers the "affective filter" and fosters spontaneous language production. The paper concludes with practical pedagogical recommendations for English teachers to integrate communicative strategies into the secondary education curriculum in Uzbekistan.