Investigation of the Application of Communicative Language Teaching in the English Language Classroom - A Case Study on Teachers’ Attitudes in Turkey - Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching Volume 2 Issue 1

Sep 4, 2026

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This qualitative case study examines whether English teachers’ classroom practices align with their attitudes toward Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), focusing on pair and group work, fluency and accuracy, error correction, and the teacher’s role. Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires and classroom observations of two teachers working with intermediate learners, including speaking warm-ups, listening extracts, and grammar presentations with practice. Results show discrepancies between stated attitudes and implemented practices, with key implementation challenges including large class sizes, traditional grammar-based examinations, and insufficient time to prepare communicative materials.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

The Study

Background

Pair and Group-work Activities

Fluency and Accuracy

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching Volume 2 (2011) Issue 1 Investigation of the Application of Communicative Language Teaching in the English Language Classroom – A Case Study on Teachers’ Attitudes in Turkey Abdullah Coskun (Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey) E-Mail: [abdullahenglish@gmail.com](abdullahenglish@gmail.com) or: [coskun_a@ibu.edu.tr](coskun_a@ibu.edu.tr)[ ](coskun_a@ibu.edu.tr)Phone: +903742541000 ext: 2833 Abstract This qualitative study aimed to reveal whether teachers’ classroom practices overlap with their attitudes towards certain features of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) such as pair and group-work activities, fluency and accuracy, error correction and the role of the teacher. Before conducting an open-ended questionnaire with two teachers of English teaching a group of intermediate students to reveal their attitudes towards CLT, the researcher had observed each participating teacher’s lesson for an hour during which they cover a speaking warm-up, a listening extract and grammar presentation with its practice. The findings have indicated that there is a discrepancy between teachers’ classroom practices and the attitudes they expressed. The major challenges in the implementation of CLT from both teachers’ perspective are found to be large class size, traditional grammar-based examinations and the little time available to prepare communicative materials. Key words: CLT, attitudes, classroom practices. 1 The Study 1.1 Background In the long-standing search for the so-called perfect method in ELT (English Language Teaching), many approaches have been developed. Among these approaches, CLT has found its place as far as the English teaching curriculum, education policy statements, course books and teacher education programs in the world are concerned. Focusing on today’s changing ELT context and the increasing trend towards CLT, Brown (1994) draws attention to the importance of real-life communication, generating unrehearsed language performance out of the classroom, developing linguistic fluency and facilitating lifelong language learning. Brown (1994: 245) also lists some of the core features of CLT as follows: 1. Classroom goals are focused upon in all the components of communicative competence; they are not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence. 2. Language teaching techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, and functional use of language for meaningful purposes. Linguistic structures do not represent the central focus but rather aspects of language which enable the learner to accomplish those purposes. 3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying communicative techniques. At times, fluency may have to take on more importance than accuracy in order to keep learners meaningfully engaged in language use. 4. In the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts. Similar to Brown, Yang and Cheung (2003) argue that CLT puts emphasis on purposeful and meaningful activities, the use of authentic elements, the use of extra materials used besides textbook activities, the avoidance of mechanical drills in pair or group work activities, and the diversity of activities. Richards (2006) draws attention to the goal of language learning with an emphasis on communicative competence. For him, the goal of language learning is to know how to use this language for a range of different purposes and functions. Relevant questions are how to vary the use of language according to setting and participants, how to produce and understand different text types and how to maintain communication despite the limitations occurring in the speaker’s knowledge of the foreign language. Among the features of CLT focused upon by various researchers as indicated above, some common features, such as pair and group work, fluency and accuracy, error c

FAQs

What aspects of CLT are examined in the study of teachers’ attitudes?

The study examines pair and group-work activities, fluency and accuracy, error correction, and the role of the teacher.

How were data collected from the participating teachers?

Data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and direct observation of each teacher’s lessons for one hour.

What main challenges were identified for implementing CLT?

The study identifies large class sizes, traditional grammar-based examinations, and limited time to prepare communicative materials.

Sep 4, 2026

Upload by Maeve