ENHANCING ORAL PROFICIENCY AMONG UPPER-LEVEL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The ability to express ideas orally has become one of the most essential skills for academic and professional success. Senior university students, however, often face significant difficulties in oral communication precisely when they are expected to present research findings, defend theses, and participate in academic and professional interactions. The gap between theoretical knowledge and spoken performance remains a pressing challenge in higher education. The purpose of this article is to investigate the development of oral proficiency among senior students and to identify effective pedagogical interventions that strengthen their communicative competence. The study aims to demonstrate how structured, discipline-specific oral practice can improve fluency, coherence, and confidence in academic and professional contexts. Methodologically, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative pre- and post-assessments of oral performance with qualitative data gathered through classroom observations, student interviews, and instructor feedback. The participants included final-year students from various disciplines who were involved in a 12-week intervention program featuring targeted speaking tasks, real-time feedback, and peer evaluations integrated into their subject-specific curricula. The novelty of this study lies in its multidimensional instructional model that integrates interactive speaking techniques, technology-enhanced feedback tools (such as automated speech analysis and video reflections), and psychological support mechanisms to address language anxiety. Unlike traditional approaches that treat speaking practice as a general language activity, this framework is tailored to the communicative demands of specific academic disciplines and professional scenarios. It also highlights the importance of addressing intercultural and affective barriers that hinder oral performance. The findings suggest that senior students who engage in structured, context-based speaking tasks supported by feedback demonstrate measurable progress in oral fluency, lexical range, and rhetorical confidence. Incorporating simulations of professional scenarios, peer collaboration, and digital feedback systems into the curriculum enhances students’ readiness for thesis defenses, seminars, interviews, and workplace communication.