TESOL: CAN DOGME ELT LEAD ITALIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO DEVELOP SPEAKING SKILLS AND FLUENCY IN EFL LEARNING?

The purpose of this paper is to discover whether Dogme ELT can efficiently lead Italian high school EFL students to develop oral fluency within the classroom, in particular if this approach is valid for General English (GE) adult intermediate classes in Italian private and state institutions. The stimulus for this research comes from the reading of academic articles on effective strategies in order to develop speaking skills and fluency in EFL learning which have been analyzed before undertaking this study in order to have a broader view of this topic. The literature review describes in detail theoretical issues with regard to the advantages of using Dogme in ELT as this methodology seems to promote proceduralization of language knowledge and consequently enhance fluency in SLA. This investigation was conducted in Italy and the data gathering processes consist mainly of qualitative semi-structured interviews with eight participants (four ESL students and four English language teachers in a private sector), interview transcripts, and content analysis techniques which were used to examine and interpret data collected. Findings demonstrate that not only can Dogme provide the appropriate conditions to effectively address EFL Italian learners� need for a greater oral fluency, but it also seems to have a positive effect on motivation, satisfaction and commitment as well.