Abstract
This study investigated the effect of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) on EFL students’ speaking performance and communication confidence at SMP Negeri 1 Kupang, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control-group design was employed with Grade 8 students assigned to an experimental group receiving CLT-based instruction and a control group receiving conventional instruction. Data were collected through a speaking performance test and a communication confidence questionnaire. The data were analyzed using paired-samples and independent-samples t-tests, effect-size analysis, and Pearson correlation. The illustrative results indicate that the experimental group demonstrated greater gains in speaking performance and communication confidence than the control group. The results also indicate a positive relationship between speaking performance and communication confidence. These findings suggest that communicative classroom activities may provide students with meaningful opportunities to practice English, interact with peers, and develop confidence in oral communication. The study highlights the potential of CLT as an instructional approach for supporting both linguistic and affective dimensions of EFL speaking development. Because the numerical results in the current manuscript are illustrative, they must be replaced with the actual statistical results before publication.