THE IMPACT OF USING A FUNCTIONAL TEXTBOOK ON DEVELOPING EFL STUDENTS' SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract The current study aimed at identifying the impact of using functional textbook on 8th grade EFL students’ speaking skills in public schools in Jordan. The participants of the study were composed of 50 students in 8th grade at Al-Fuqaha Secondary School, Amman, Jordan. The participants, who were selected using convenience sampling method, were divided into two groups; the experimental group (25 students), and the control group (25 students). The data were collected via a pre-post speaking test, the validity and a reliability of which were verified. The obtained data were analysed using the statistical tests, such as means, standard deviations, and a t-test. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences at (α= 0.05) between the means of both groups on the students’ post conversational skills test, in favor of the experimental group (a functional textbook). Results also found statistically significant differences at (α= 0.05) between the means of the experimental group students' conversational skills, in favor of the experimental group, which was 90 and above. It is recommended that decision makers should pay more attention to teaching materials and focus on functional English to enhance EFL learners’ speaking skills. Keywords: Functional English; textbook; 8th grade; EFL; speaking skills