Artifact-Mediated Speaking Instruction in Junior Secondary EFL: Designing A Rubik’s Cube-Assisted Demonstration Module

Abstract

This study proposes a Rubik’s Cube-assisted instructional architecture for developing speaking competence in junior secondary English as a foreign language classroom. The framework addresses persistent challenges in speaking instruction, including speaking anxiety, unequal participation, limited communicative engagement, and the absence of structured interactional procedures. Adopting a conceptual design methodology, the study synthesizes theories of communicative competence, task-based language teaching, sociocultural mediation, sociomaterial learning, and cognitive load management to construct a curriculum-aligned speaking module. The instructional design is organized around the thematic units of the Indonesian junior secondary English curriculum and integrates discourse segmentation, scaffolding cycles, rotational participation mechanisms, and artifact-mediated interaction. Within the proposed framework, the Rubik’s Cube functions as a pedagogical artifact that generates visible speaking prompts, regulates turn-taking, and supports learners in initiating oral communication. To evaluate the pedagogical effectiveness of the model, a mixed-methods assessment framework is also proposed, incorporating speaking performance measures, participation indicators, the Public Speaking Classroom Anxiety Scale (PSCAS), reflective responses, and semi-structured interviews. The instructional architecture is expected to enhance speaking fluency, reduce foreign language speaking anxiety, and promote more equitable classroom participation. The novelty of the study lies in integrating sociomaterial mediation, discourse scaffolding, participation regulation, and curriculum alignment within a single artifact-mediated instructional framework. The study contributes theoretically to EFL pedagogy by demonstrating how tangible classroom artifacts can structure communicative interaction and support speaking development, while practically providing teachers with an innovative and implementable strategy for organizing speaking activities in junior secondary classrooms.