Examining the Effects of Cue Cards on EFL Learners’ Speaking Fluency, Accuracy, and Speaking Anxiety

Abstract

As using cue cards is not common in Iranian EFL classes, this research aimed at examining the impacts of applying cue cards on developing the speaking accuracy and fluency of Iranian EFL students. Additionally, this study looked at how employing cue cards helped Iranian EFL learners reduce their speaking anxiety. Sixty of the 97 Iranian EFL students who took the Oxford Quick Placement Test were selected as the target sample for the current research. The selected participants were then indiscriminately designated into two groups: control and experimental of equal size. Afterward, the pretests of speaking fluency and accuracy and speaking anxiety were administered to both groups. After pretesting, the experimental group was instructed by using cue cards, and the control group was instructed by a traditional speaking method. After the instruction finished, both groups took the posttests of the mentioned variables. The data analysis revealed that on their speaking accuracy, fluency, and anxiety posttests, the experimental group outperformed the control group. According to results, applying cue cards led to positive effects on speaking fluency, accuracy, and anxiety. Ultimately, based on the findings, some implications and conclusions were proposed.