Abstract Book of the 10th World Conference on Teaching and Education
Year: 2026
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One Size Does Not Fit All: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Constructivist Approaches in Enhancing English Speaking Skills among Secondary School Students with Diverse Learning Styles
Garima Sharma, Prof. Dr. Geeta Shetty
ABSTRACT:
Howard Gardner has rightly stated, “If a child cannot learn the way we may teach, maybe we should teach the way he learns.” This idea challenges the traditional one-size-fits all approach to education and emphasizes the need for differentiated instructional approaches. This study investigates the effectiveness of constructivist approaches in enhancing English Language Speaking skills among secondary school students with diverse learning styles and compares its effectiveness with traditional didactic methods. For this pilot study a quasi-experimental Pre-Test-Post-Test control group design was employed with grade 9 ICSE board students. An intervention package comprising constructivist approaches such as Reader’s Theatre, Literature Circles, the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) and the Language Experience Approach (LEA) was administered to the Experimental group while the control group continued with traditional teaching methods. Learning styles were mapped using learning style inventory, and supplementary qualitative data were gathered through Students’ Opinionnaire and Teachers’ Observation Schedule. Data were analysed using t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. Findings show that the Experimental group achieved a statistically significant improvement in English Language Speaking Skills while the Control Group’s improvement was not significant. Improvement in English language speaking skills was observed across all learning styles, with no significant association found between learning style and the extent of English language speaking skill improvement under the constructivist approach. The study concludes that constructivist approach is learning style neutral strategy and contributes empirical evidence on effectiveness of constructivist approaches for English language speaking skill enhancement among secondary school students.
Keywords: Constructivist Approaches, English language Speaking Skills, Quasi-Experimental Design, Learning Styles, Learning Style Inventory