Enhancing Grade 8 Students’ Speaking Skills Through the Use of Visual Aids: A Study at Mozambican Public Schools

This study, entitled “Enhancing Grade 8 Students’ Speaking Skills through the Use of Visual Aids: A Study in Mozambican Public Schools”, investigates the use of visual aids in improving learners’ oral expression in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Guided by the pragmatist paradigm, the study adopted a mixed-methods approach and a descriptive research design to explore classroom practices from multiple perspectives. The study involved one English teacher and 89 Grade 8 students, of whom 82 completed questionnaires and seven participated in interviews. Data were collected through non-participant classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and document analysis. Methodological triangulation was used to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. Results indicate that teachers predominantly rely on chalkboard drawings and textbook images, while other visual resources such as flashcards, videos, and infographics are rarely used. Student engagement varied according to task complexity, with higher participation observed in structured drills and lower engagement in more demanding speaking tasks. In addition, document analysis revealed a lack of explicit guidance on the integration of visual aids in instructional planning, suggesting a gap between curriculum intentions and classroom practice. The study concludes that although visual aids have the potential to enhance learners’ comprehension and oral expression, their effectiveness is limited by resource constraints and insufficient pedagogical integration.

Classroom Engagement; Speaking Skills; Visual Aids; Grade 8 EFL Learners; English as a Foreign Language

1. Altrichter, H., Posch, P., & Somekh, B. (1996). Teachers investigate their work: An introduction to action research across the professions. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Anglin, G. J., Vaez, H., & Cunningham, K. (2004). Visual literacy: A spectrum of visual learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52(2), 93–99. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02504866 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Babbie, E. (2016). The practice of social research (14th ed.). Cengage Learning. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bamford, A. (2003). The visual literacy white paper. Adobe Systems. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Barbosa, J. (2012). Análise documental: Fundamentos e aplicações. Editora Acadêmica. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Brinton, D. M. (2001). The use of media in language teaching. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 459–475). Heinle & Heinle. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). Longman. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Canning-Wilson, C. (1997). Practical aspects of using video in the EFL classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, 3(12). http://iteslj.org/Articles/Canning-Video.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Canning-Wilson, C. (2000). Practical aspects of using video in the EFL and ESL classroom (ERIC report). ERIC Clearinghouse. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Carney, R. N., & Levin, J. R. (2002). Pictorial illustrations still improve students’ learning from text. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), 5–26. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Cervo, A. L., & Bervian, P. A. (2002). Metodologia científica (5th ed.). Prentice Hall. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Clark, R. C., & Lyons, C. (2004). Graphics for learning: Proven guidelines for planning, designing, and evaluating visuals in training materials. Pfeiffer. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business research methods (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Dawson, C. (2002). Practical research methods: A user-friendly guide to mastering research techniques and projects. How To Books. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Doff, A. (1988). Teach English: A training course for teachers. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Doff, A. (1993). Teaching English: A training course for teachers. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Gageiro, J., & Pestana, P. (2014). Análise de dados para ciências sociais: Estatística e SPSS (6th ed.). Edições Sílabo. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Harif, M. A. M., & Hashim, F. (2009). Visual literacy in ESL classrooms: A review of literature. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching (3rd ed.). Longman. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Harmer, J. (2004). How to teach English (New ed.). Pearson Education. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Kauark, F., Manhães, F. C., & Medeiros, C. H. (2010). Metodologia da pesquisa. Via Litterarum. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (3rd ed.). New Age International. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Krum, R. (2014). Cool infographics: Effective communication with data visualization and design. Wiley. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Lakatos, E. M., & Marconi, M. A. (2003). Fundamentos de metodologia científica (5th ed.). Atlas. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Mahmood, I., Bukhari, S. K. U., & Bahoo, R. (2024). Effectiveness of Visual Aids in Teaching of English at Secondary School Level. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(2), 1377–1384 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Morgan, D. L. (2007). Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained: Methodological implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 48–76 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Mukherjee, S., & Roy, S. (2003). Visual aids in English language teaching. The Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 3(1), 23–30. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Oliveira, D. (2011). Metodologia científica: Guia prático para trabalhos acadêmicos. Atlas. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Oxford Languages. (2025). Flash card. In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved [13/11/2025], from https://www.lexico.com/definition/flash_carde Teaching: Teaching in Changing Times. (Unpublished review) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Pillet, C. (2004). Didática Geral (23ª ed.). Editora Ática. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Rahman, T. (2023). Review of Local Research and Glocal Perspectives in English Languag [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Richard, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (1986). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.). (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Sam, M. S. (2013, May 11). Flash card. PsychologyDictionary.org. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. https://psychologydictionary.org/flash card [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Santas, A., & Eaker, L. (2009). The eyes know it? Training the eyes: A theory of visual literacy. Journal of Visual Literacy, 28(2), 163–185. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Sileyew, K. J. (2019). We are IntechOpen, the world’s leading publisher of Open Access books built by scientists, for scientists. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Smiciklas, M. (2012). The power of infographics: Using pictures to communicate and connect with your audiences. Que Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Walter. E., (2008). Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary (3r ed.). Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Zhang, Q. (2009). Affecting Factors of Native-Like Pronunciation: A literure [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Evaluating the Impacts of Mind Mapping Strategy on Developing EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills
• Significance of Reading Instructions for Language Improvement in Children with Down Syndrome
• Prenasalised Consonants in Liangmai
• Metadiscourse Matters: Definitions, Models, and Advantages for ESL/ EFL Writing
• Blank Minds and Stuck Voices: Understanding and Addressing Cognitive Anxiety in High-Stakes ESL Speaking Tests