The study reported here was designed to address this problem. Student negotiation
was implemented as a way to improve the effectiveness of speaking classes,
and lesson contents were negotiated with students and classroom activities were
designed according to students’ needs and wants. The approach used in this study
was designed to profile learners’ expectations from speaking classes, to identify factors
influencing the quality of speaking classes, and to reveal the impact of giving
learners a voice in speaking classes through action research. The study also aims to
offer educational researchers an example of systematic action research that can be
carried out to improve the effectiveness of speaking classes. To do so, the study
attempted to find answers to the following research questions: