Communicative Drills: The Impact of Communicative Intent on Oral Proficiency

Abstract This exploratory study investigated the role of communicative intent in second language (L2) oral practice by comparing communicative and meaningful drills. English language learners played a game designed to elicit repeated use of the second conditional. One group played the real game as a communicative drill across two sessions, while the other group first played a simulated, non‐communicative version of the game as a meaningful drill before engaging in the real game. Both drills involved identical output opportunities and feedback, differing only in whether learners chose their own messages and required their interlocutor's understanding. Utterances were rated using a rubric and mean ratings were compared across days and groups. Results showed no difference in language quality on the first day, but the communicative‐first group demonstrated significantly higher ratings and improvement on the second day. These findings provide empirical support for the important role of communicative intent in L2 practice. Implications for pedagogy and research methodology are discussed.