A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE THERAPY INTEGRATED ENGLISH LANGUAGE LAB IN IMPROVING LSRW SKILLS AMONG M. ED SCHOLARS

Abstract

English language proficiency remains a critical determinant of academic success for postgraduate teacher trainees, particularly those from rural and semi‑urban backgrounds where exposure to the language is limited. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Language Therapy Integrated English Language Lab (LTI‑ELL) on the listening, speaking, reading, and writing (LSRW) skills of Master of Education (M.Ed) scholars in Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu. A quasi‑experimental non‑equivalent control group design was adopted with 80 participants (experimental = 40, control = 40) selected through purposive sampling. Over two weeks (10 working days), the experimental group received a structured daily intervention combining language therapy techniques—articulatory drills, scaffolded oral repetition, real‑time corrective feedback, and confidence‑building tasks—delivered through a digital language laboratory. The control group followed the conventional English instruction prescribed in their M.Ed curriculum. Data were collected using the LSRW Academic Language Battery (LSRW‑ALB), adapted from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Junior Standard framework and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) descriptors, with established reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). Independent and paired samples t‑tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were applied. Results showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group significantly across all LSRW domains (p < .001), with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d ranging from 1.56 to 2.31). The null hypotheses were rejected. The LTI‑ELL framework proved effective in enhancing LSRW skills among M.Ed scholars. This study offers a replicable, short‑duration pedagogical model for teacher education institutions in resource‑constrained rural settings.