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Problem-Based Learning as a Pedagogical Tool for Developing Interpersonal Communication Skills: An Interactional Analysis of Pre-Service EFL Teachers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Aim. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a popular theory in EFL teacher education, that identify and discuss its influence on the acquisition of interpersonal communication skills through fine-grained classroom interactional practices. Specifically, little attention has been given to how pre-service EFL teachers use verbal and non-verbal interactional resources to reach mutual understanding in collaborative problem-solving. Methods. The present study explored the efficiency of PBL as a pedagogical tool for building interpersonal communication skills, in particular repair strategies, clarification requests, silence, and pausing in classroom conversation. The study used a pre-experimental, one-group pre-test-post-test design with a sample of pre-service EFL teachers engaged in a systematic implementation of PBL over a 15-week instructional session. The interaction data were gathered from audio recordings of group discussions held before and after the intervention. Results. Interactional discourse analysis was employed as a qualitative analysis to study the sequential organisation and interactional role of the targeted features, and descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used as quantitative analyses to examine changes in the frequency and distribution of these targeted features pre- and post-intervention. Conclusions. The data showed statistically significant growth in repair and clarification strategies, as well as a more strategic use of silence and pausing in the post-test interactions. By presenting mixed evidence on how PBL can be used to develop interpersonal communication skills at the interactional level in pre-service teacher education, the study contributes to EFL pedagogy.

Source: Journal of Education Culture and Society

DOI: 10.15503/jecs2026.1.475.494

Authors: Sameena Banu, Shaista Zeb, Tamer Tawfik Saudi, Bahia Khalifa Ibrahim Mohammed

Institutions: Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Qassim University, National University of Modern Languages, Tanta University, University of Tabuk

Topic: EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University

OpenAlex ID: W7166299954

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