Effectiveness of the Shadowing Technique in Enhancing Speaking Skills among B1-Level EFL Learners: A Systematic Review Based on the PRISMA Method Eficacia de la técnica de shadowing para mejorar las habilidades de expresión oral en estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL) de nivel B1: una revisión sistemática basada en el método PRISMA

Resumen

The development of speaking skills continues to be a central challenge for B1-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in contexts with limited opportunities for authentic communication. The Shadowing Technique has emerged as a promising pedagogical tool to enhance oral fluency, pronunciation accuracy, and prosodic control; however, its application in Latin American and Ecuadorian educational settings remains largely underexplored. This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on the PRISMA 2020 protocol and guided by the PICO framework to synthesize empirical evidence on the effectiveness of shadowing for speaking development. A qualitative exploratory design was adopted to analyze 18 studies published between 2015 and 2025, focusing on learning outcomes, instructional practices, and the role of teacher-mediated corrective feedback. The results indicate that shadowing consistently supports improvements in fluency, pronunciation, rhythm, and learner confidence, especially when paired with timely and supportive correction strategies such as recasts and metalinguistic feedback. Additionally, the findings highlight that teacher involvement plays a crucial role in fostering self-monitoring and reducing fossilized errors. The review provides new insights relevant to the Ecuadorian EFL context, emphasizing the value of integrating shadowing into communicative curricula. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of fluency-oriented instruction and offers pedagogical recommendations for enhancing speaking proficiency through evidence-based shadowing practices