Abstract
This study evaluates the effectiveness of using a springboard, or motivational strategy, through the integration of poetry as a pedagogical tool to enhance students' oral communication skills. Poetry in education refers to the use of verse as an instructional tool to enhance language learning, emotional expression, and communication skills. In particular, poetry supports the development of oral fluency, rhythm, intonation, and interpretative speaking. Through reading, performing, and creating poems, students engage more deeply with language, improving their verbal confidence, vocabulary, and ability to convey meaning both denotatively and connotatively. Spoken word and performance poetry, especially, encourage creativity and audience awareness, making them powerful tools in language and communication (Somers-Willet, 2009; Dixson & Dingus, 2007). In other words, using poetry in education is not only beneficial—it meets critical needs in language development, emotional literacy, creativity, and communication. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, the study incorporated quantitative measures to address its specific objectives. Findings suggest that utilizing poetry in oral communication instruction positively influences students' fluency and their ability to convey meaning connotatively. Moreover, the results underscore the significance of poetic instruction for English language educators and researchers seeking innovative methods to enhance student communication, even while aiming to convey the day's lesson straightforwardly.
