Abstract
The development of learners' speaking competence remains one of the primary goals of English language teaching (ELT). In secondary and IELTS English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, learners are expected to communicate ideas fluently, accurately, and confidently in a variety of academic and real-world contexts. Despite the widespread adoption of communicative language teaching approaches, many learners continue to experience difficulties in oral communication due to limited vocabulary, insufficient opportunities to rehearse language, speaking anxiety, and a lack of structured classroom experiences that promote extended oral production. These challenges often result in reduced learner confidence and limited opportunities to develop meaningful presentation and communication skills.
To address these instructional challenges, teachers require practical and theoretically grounded instructional approaches that systematically scaffold learners from language preparation to authentic communication. While numerous teaching strategies support individual aspects of speaking instruction, relatively few integrate vocabulary development, guided language rehearsal, authentic presentations, formative feedback, and reflective learning into a coherent instructional sequence that teachers can consistently implement across different classroom contexts.
In response to these pedagogical needs, the PREPS Instructional Model was developed as a theory-informed, presentation-based instructional model designed to support the development of speaking competence among secondary and IELTS EFL learners. The model consists of five interconnected instructional stages—Prepare Vocabulary, Rehearse Language, Engage in Presentation, Provide Feedback, and Self-Reflection (PREPS)—that collectively scaffold learners through the process of preparing for, performing, evaluating, and reflecting upon oral communication tasks. Grounded in established educational and second-language learning theories, the model emphasizes meaningful communication, active learner participation, formative assessment, and reflective practice as essential components of effective speaking instruction.
This paper introduces the PREPS Instructional Model by presenting its conceptual and theoretical foundations, conceptual diagram, instructional procedures, expected learning outcomes, and practical classroom applications. As a conceptual paper, it aims to provide English language teachers with a structured and evidence-informed instructional model that can be implemented in secondary and IELTS EFL classrooms while serving as a foundation for future classroom implementation, empirical validation, and continued refinement through educational research.
Keywords: PREPS Instructional Model; speaking competence; communication confidence; learner engagement; EFL learners
DOI https://zenodo.org/records/24186151
