Abstract
The present study developed a training program that intended to improve Japanese high school students’ English oral interaction skills, as well as devised methods to evaluate their achievement in the program. The main characteristics of the training are that: 1) the speaking activities can be implemented for a short time, 2) the curriculum was designed referring to previous studies on communication strategy training, 3) the goal was clearly set, and functions of language that can help achieve the goal were chosen from the list in the Course of Study, and 4) the same tasks were repeatedly used. As for the development of the evaluation methods, it was prudently deliberated how to assess the three evaluation points of the Course of Study. As a result of conducting the training at a high school, the participants’ speaking performance significantly improved. In addition, the results of survey research demonstrated that the participants generally enjoyed the training and recognized improvement in their speaking skills. The validity, reliability, and practicality of the evaluation methods were basically high, though further modification is needed.
