The Impact of Flexible Learning Strategies on Iraqi EFL Preparatory School Students Speaking Performance

الملخص

This study investigates the effect of flexible learning strategies on Iraqi EFL preparatory students' speaking performance. The study sample were (60) male preparatory fourth-grader students for the academic year (2024/2025) in Al-Qabas Preparatory School for Boys. To achieve the objective of this research, an experimental design was administered in which 40 students were allocated to two groups that had either flexible or conventional instruction. Test of speaking performance was done prior to and after intervention in both groups. The results indicated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in post-test, and outperformed it in learners′ fluency ability, pronunciation ability, use of vocabulary as well as general confidence about speaking English. This finding indicates that incorporating diversified teaching strategies might be an effective way to foster EFL learners' performance in speaking. This would suggest that strategies like these should be embedded in our teaching practice as a means of promoting student engagement and independence, and stimulating speaking.