Original Research
Native Speaker Conversation Sessions to Enhance Communicative Competence and Oral Fluency in Tourism and Hospitality EFL Students
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This study aimed to explore how monthly conversation sessions with native English speakers influence the development of communicative competence which encompasses grammatical, discourse, sociolinguistic, and strategic components as well as oral fluency in Tourism and Hospitality Management students at the University of Cuenca. A qualitative methodology was employed through three focus group sessions involving ten students each. All conversations were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subsequently coded both deductively, drawing on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis (i+1, quantity, authenticity, variability, and implicit feedback) and guided by Hymes’ theoretical framework of Communicative Competence. Results indicated significant improvement in discourse competence, particularly during guided city tours, where students demonstrated the use of cohesive devices and coherent speech. Grammatical competence and oral fluency showed moderate progress, hindered by the limited frequency of practice opportunities. Sociolinguistic competence was perceptually activated, though without evidence of critical cultural reflection. Strategic competence remained underdeveloped. The study concludes that unless input quantity increases and tasks become more varied, professional-level fluency and automatization will remain difficult to achieve.
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Keywords
Oral Fluency; Communicative Competence; Native Speaker Interaction; Tourism and Hospitality; EFL Education
Author(s) Information
Publisher’s Note
The claims, arguments, and counter-arguments made in this article are exclusively those of the contributing authors. Hence, they do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the authors’ affiliated institutions, or EUROKD as the publisher, the editors and the reviewers of the article.
Acknowledgements
Not applicable.
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement
Susana Ximena Orellana-Mora: Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervision, Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing
Juan Jose Santillán-Iñiguez: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing
Miguel Angel Arévalo-Chuquín: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing
Freddy Edgar Espinoza-Figueroa: Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Software, Validation, Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing
Amanita Torcasa Hidalgo-Nickel: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing
Generative AI Use Disclosure Statement
We used Grammarly, an AI-based writing assistant, throughout the manuscript to ensure linguistic accuracy and stylistic consistency. As non-native English speakers, we relied on the tool to identify and correct grammatical and spelling errors, improve sentence structure, and enhance clarity. Our goal was to make the text natural, precise, and accessible to a broad academic audience while preserving the integrity and originality of our ideas.
Ethics Declarations
World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki–Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki. All procedures involving human participants complied with these guidelines to ensure respect, safety, and integrity throughout the research process. Given that the study participants were legal adults, they were asked to sign an informed consent form. This form outlined the study, its objectives, and its methodology; it explicitly stated that participation was voluntary and that individuals were free to withdraw from the study at any time. Additionally, anonymity was ensured through the use of a coding system for data analysis and result presentation. Ethical standards were rigorously maintained throughout the study.
Competing Interests
The authors declare that there have been no conflicts of interests in the development of this research.
Data Availability
The data of this study has been stored, and it is available on the pertinent request by the interested party.