The Impact of Teaching Through ENGAGE Model on L2 Speaking of Iranian EFL Learners

ENGAGE model, as a unique brilliance learning system, has been proposed to help language teachers to revolutionize language learners’ experiences by transcending the limitations of conventional methodologies and addressing the whole being of the learners. The present study sought to investigate the impact of using ENGAGE model on the speaking skills of Iranian EFL learners. For this purpose, from the target population of students learning English in one of the language institutes in Iran, 100 female intermediate students with an age range of 18 to 25 were randomly selected out of 150 participants and assigned to three groups, receiving their instruction based on the principles of Audio Lingual Method (ALM), (n = 32), Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) (n = 33), and ENGAGE model (n = 35). Applying a tripartite cycle comprising pretesting, intervention, and post-testing, the obtained data were analyzed via SPSS. The outcome of the posttest data analysis revealed that the participants taught by ENGAGE model significantly outperformed those in other samples on target L2 speaking tasks.  Subsequently, the participants in the three groups were interviewed to see how they perceived the inherent merits of the ENGAGE model in real practice. The qualitative data drawn from the interviews with the students were analyzed through content analysis relying on open and axial coding forms and the results reflected that the ENGAGE model was the most pedagogically efficient method compared to TBLT and ALM. Notably, the findings could have interesting implications for ELT practitioners, program developers, and EFL teachers.