Objective:

To diagnose the teaching-learning process of conversational competence in the discipline of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) at the Universidad de Oriente to achieve a sound approach to the scientific research of its dynamics.

Methods:

Observation of teaching activities, surveys to foreign students at B2 and C1 levels and documentary review of the programs and didactic materials used for teaching.

Result:

Several difficulties in Spanish as a foreign language students’ conversational skills were revealed using language assessment tools. This situation hinders the communicative performance of these students in the socio-cultural context in which they learn the Spanish language.

Conclusion:

The limitations in the teaching-learning process of conversational competence result from a didactic approach that is loosely articulated to the real communication needs of foreign students who learn Spanish in socio-cultural contexts of immersion. The didactic actions use in the teaching practice give insufficient priority conversational training, a situation that demands urgent attention.

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