Enjoyment and Development of Oral English Proficiency in Future Teachers

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between enjoyment and the development of oral proficiency in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to future teachers. It delved into understanding the role of enjoyment as a predictor of oral proficiency and validated the proposed model for assessing enjoyment in EFL. The sample comprised 119 students from a State Higher School of Education in Peru, randomly selected from various teaching areas and stratified according to English language competency levels ranging from A1 to B1+ based on the Common European Framework of Reference. Students' oral proficiency was evaluated using a rubric covering five aspects, and enjoyment was assessed through a ten-question questionnaire. The results initially demonstrated a significant positive relationship (r = 0.900, p < 0.001) between enjoyment and oral proficiency in English. Secondly, a linear regression model determined that enjoyment was a highly significant predictor (β = 0.957, p < 0.001) of oral proficiency. These findings support the importance of enjoyment in developing oral proficiency as a reliable tool to predict oral proficiency development in English and validate the proposed enjoyment-based model in the context of EFL teacher education.

This study highlighted a significant influence of enjoyment on the development of oral proficiency in teaching English as a foreign language to prospective teachers. Results analysis underscored the importance of enjoyment as a significant predictor of oral proficiency, suggesting that promoting enjoyment in the learning process can be an effective strategy to foster significant development of oral skills in English. These findings have significant implications for teacher education, emphasizing the need to integrate activities and psycho-pedagogical approaches that promote enjoyment in the English classroom. Furthermore, the proposed model was validated as a reliable tool to assess enjoyment in the context of EFL teacher education. Understanding and nurturing enjoyment in learning English can significantly enhance the oral skills of future teachers and, ultimately, contribute to communicative competence and a stronger command of the English language.