Language is the most important instrument for communication. It enables and facilitates both the speaker and the listener to exchange their thoughts and feelings. It is the basis for social, cultural, aesthetic, spiritual and economic development and growth of every human being. Unless the spoken language is free from errors and barriers, it can never be recognized and comprehended properly. Broadly speaking, the usage of contextual vocabulary, correct pronunciation, stress, intonation and other elements is essential for cultivating the speaking skill. Skill of speaking is very vital as it plays a pivotal role in each and every field, especially in education. This skill of speaking must be developed among the student community, particularly the student-teachers. Schools and colleges for years together follow various techniques and approaches in teaching English, but students in large number struggle to communicate in English as their of regional vernacular interrupts or throttles their flow of the alien language. Why is this problem? Who are responsible for it? How can it be rectified? What are the solutions to it? This research paper throws lights on these interrogations and finds answers for them. It also highlights the importance and effectiveness of multimedia in offering practice to develop the speaking skill of the student-teachers who are going to be the teachers in the future and carving their wards in developing this skill. The investigators have employed experimental method using Pre-test — Post-test Equivalent Group Design. The selection of 70 student-teachers from one of the colleges of education of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, has served both the sample groups. They have used two tools namely S. Jalota’s Test of Intelligence for College Education Adults (JTICEA) and ReWi’s Achievement Test in English Language Skills (RATELS) for the experiment. The multimedia module consisted of 30 units was prepared. The collected data were analysed by employing t-tests for dependent and independent variable and ANCOVA. It proves that the Multimedia Modular Approach is statistically more effective than the traditional method in developing speaking skill.
