A survey on the teachers role in applying the communicative approach to esp classes at nong lam university hochiminh city

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HOCHIMINH CITY
UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE

A SURVEY ON THE TEACHERS’ ROLE
IN APPLYING THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
TO ESP CLASSES AT NONG LAM UNIVERSITYHOCHIMINH CITY

A thesis submitted to the
Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature
in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL

By
LE THI TIEU PHUONG
Supervised by
NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Ph.D.

HO CHI MINH CITY, SEPTEMBER 2012


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I owe my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Ms. Nguyễn
Thị Kiều Thu, Ph.D., for her enormous advice, correction, and encouragement
throughout my thesis writing. This thesis would have not been possible without her
invaluable support and guidance.
I am sincerely grateful to my former teacher at Nong Lam University, Ms. Lê Thị
Ngân Vang, M.A., for her useful experience sharing at all times.
My special thanks and appreciations also go to all the teachers and students of ESP
classes at Nong Lam University for enthusiastically taking part in this survey.
I would also like to thank my colleagues for helping me with their helpful advice on

the thesis process.
Last but not least, I am forever indebted to my family and my husband for their
understanding, sharing and encouragement through the duration of my study.

I


STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled:

A SURVEY ON THE TEACHERS’ ROLE
IN APPLYING THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
TO ESP CLASSES AT NONG LAM UNIVERSITY-HOCHIMINH CITY
in terms of the statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Program issued by
the Higher Degree Committee. The thesis has not previously been submitted for a
degree.

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2012

LÊ THỊ TIỂU PHƯỢNG

II


RETENTION OF USE

I hereby state that I, LÊ THỊ TIỂU PHƯỢNG, being the candidate for the degree of
Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention
of Master’s Theses deposited in the library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the
library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the
normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of
theses.
Ho Chi Minh City, September 2012

LÊ THỊ TIỂU PHƯỢNG

III


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................I
Statement of originality............................................................................................II
Retention of use .......................................................................................................III
Table of contents ......................................................................................................IV
List of abbreviations.................................................................................................IX
List of tables.............................................................................................................X
List of charts.............................................................................................................XII
Abstract ....................................................................................................................XIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................1
1.1 Background to the study ....................................................................................1
1.2 Aims of the study.................................................................................................3
1.3 Research questions..............................................................................................4
1.4 Significance of the study .....................................................................................4
1.5 Assumptions.........................................................................................................5
1.6 Scope of the study................................................................................................5
1.7 Organization of the remainder of the study .....................................................6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................7
2.1 Definition of some related terms........................................................................7
2.2 Communicative competence ..............................................................................8
2.3 The Communicative Approach..........................................................................9
2.3.1 Definitions of the Communicative Approach ..............................................9
2.3.2 Characteristics and principles of the Communicative Approach .................10
2.3.2.1 Accuracy and fluency........................................................................10
2.3.2.2 Student-centered and teacher-centered .............................................11

IV


2.3.2.3 Authentic textbook ............................................................................11
2.3.2.4 The role of grammar in the Communicative Approach ....................12
2.3.3 Activities in the Communicative Approach .................................................13
2.4 The role of the teacher in the Communicative Approach ...............................14
2.4.1 Definition of teachers’ role...........................................................................14
2.4.2 Teachers’ role in different teaching methods ...............................................16
2.4.3 Teachers’ role in the Communicative Approach..........................................17
2.4.3.1 Teachers as facilitators......................................................................18
2.4.3.2 Teachers as needs analysts ................................................................22
2.4.3.3 Teachers as counselors......................................................................22
2.4.3.4 Teachers as group process managers ................................................23
2.5 Teaching techniques applied in the Communicative Approach.....................23
2.5.1 Applying the Communicative Approach in teaching listening ....................23
2.5.2 Applying the Communicative Approach in teaching speaking....................25
2.5.3 Applying the Communicative Approach in teaching reading ......................27
2.5.4 Applying the Communicative Approach in teaching writing ......................31
2.5.5 Applying the Communicative Approach in teaching grammar ...................32
2.6 Factors affecting the application of the Communicative Approach ..............34

2.6.1 Teachers’ belief and attitude ........................................................................34
2.6.2 Teachers’ quality and personality.................................................................34
2.6.3 Students’ motivation.....................................................................................35
2.6.4 Students’ belief and attitudes .......................................................................35
2.6.5 Students’ anxiety ..........................................................................................35
2.6.6 Classroom conditions ...................................................................................36
2.6.7 The use of L1 in the L2 classroom ...............................................................36
2.6.8 Syllabuses and textbooks..............................................................................37
2.6.9 Tests and evaluation .....................................................................................38
2.7 Previous studies on applying the Communicative Approach in Vietnam .....38
2.8 Conceptual framework of the study ..................................................................41
V


2.8.1 Kinds of class activities ................................................................................41
2.8.2 Mistake correction ........................................................................................42
2.8.3 Teachers’ talking time ..................................................................................42
2.8.4 Teachers’ teaching language ........................................................................43
2.8.5 Teachers’ position ........................................................................................44
2.8.6 Teachers’ behavior during class activities....................................................44
2.8.7 Grammar teaching ........................................................................................45
2.8.8 The emphasis on language skills ..................................................................46
2.8.9 Factors affecting the application of the Communicative Approach.............47
2.9 Summary..............................................................................................................48

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY...........................................................................49
3.1 Research questions..............................................................................................49
3.2 Research method .................................................................................................50
3.3 Context of the study ............................................................................................50
3.3.1 Institutional factors.......................................................................................50

3.3.2 Material factors.............................................................................................52
3.4 Sample and sampling procedures......................................................................53
3.4.1 Teachers........................................................................................................53
3.4.2 Students ........................................................................................................54
3.5 Research instruments and data collection procedure .....................................56
3.5.1 Survey questionnaire ....................................................................................56
3.5.1.1 Questionnaire for teachers ................................................................58
3.5.1.2 Questionnaire for students ................................................................59
3.5.2 Class observation..........................................................................................60
3.6 Data analysis........................................................................................................61
3.7 Summary..............................................................................................................61

VI


CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................63
4.1 Teachers’ responses to the survey questionnaire.............................................63
4.2 Students’ responses to the survey questionnaire .............................................79
4.2.1 Students’ personal information and previous experience ............................80
4.2.2 Students’ responses on teachers’ performance.............................................82
4.3 Results from class observation...........................................................................93
4.3.1 Class talking time .........................................................................................93
4.3.2 Teaching language........................................................................................94
4.3.3 Teachers’ position ........................................................................................95
4.3.4 Teachers’ behavior during communicative activities...................................96
4.4 Summary..............................................................................................................98

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION..............................................................................100
5.1 Conclusion.........................................................................................................100
5.2 Suggestions........................................................................................................104

5.2.1 Training and retaining teachers about the Communicative Approach......104
5.2.2 Redefining the teachers’ role.....................................................................105
5.2.3 Organizing more communicative activities...............................................106
5.2.3.1 Role play ........................................................................................106
5.2.3.2 Games.............................................................................................108
5.2.3.3 Using pictures/clips to support the lesson......................................110
5.2.4 Handle errors sensitively and effectively ..................................................111
5.2.5 Reducing teachers’ talking time ................................................................111
5.2.6 Emphasizing on all four language skills and grammar .............................112
5.2.7 Teaching grammar communicatively........................................................113
5.2.8 Support from the educational administrators ............................................113
5.3 Limitation of the study ....................................................................................114
5.4 Recommendation for further study................................................................114

VII


REFERENCES....................................................................................................... 116
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS .................................... 125
APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ..................................... 131
A. English version .............................................................................................. 131
B. Vietnamese version........................................................................................ 136
APPENDIX C: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FORM ................................. 142
APPENDIX D: RAW DATA OF THE TEACHERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE ..... 144
APPENDIX E: RAW DATA OF THE STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE ...... 150

VIII


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

• ESP: English for Specific Purposes
• F: Female
• HCMC: Hochiminh city
• HUI: University of Industry
• L1: The mother tongue or the first language
• L2: The second or target language
• M: Male
• M.A.: Master of Arts
• N: Number
• NLU: Nong Lam University
• SD: Standard deviation

IX


LIST OF TABLES
CHAPTER 2
Table 2.1: An overview of teachers’ role in different methods .............................. 17
Table 2.2: Describing teacher performance styles .................................................. 21

CHAPTER 3
Table 3.1: Distribution of time and units in 2 English subjects ............................ 52
Table 3.2: Background information on the teacher sample................................... 55
Table 3.3: Background information on the student sample................................... 56
Table 3.4: Information on the observed classes..................................................... 56

CHAPTER 4
Teachers’ responses to the survey questionnaire
Table 4.1: Sources of teachers’ learning about the Communicative Approach .... 64

Table 4.2: Teachers’ understanding of the Communicative Approach ................. 65
Table 4.3: The frequency of communicative activities in ESP classes ................. 67
Table 4.4: How teachers conducted the communicative activities in class........... 71
Table 4.5: Teachers’ belief on important teaching areas....................................... 72
Table 4.6: Teachers’ belief on important areas to pass the exam......................... 73
Table 4.7: Time spent on teaching grammar and language skills........................... 74
Table 4.8: Difficulties in applying the Communicative Approach ...................... 76
Table 4.9: Teachers’ suggestions.......................................................................... 77

Students’ responses to the survey questionnaire
Table 4.10: Communicative activities applied in class .......................................... 82
Table 4.11: How teachers conducted the communicative activities in class .......... 87
Table 4.12: Time spent on teaching grammar and language skills......................... 88

X


Table 4.13: Students’ attitude towards communicative activities in class ............. 89
Table 4.14: Difficulties preventing students from
taking part in communicative activities................................................ 90
Table 4.15: Students suggestions to improve the teaching quality......................... 91

Class observation
Table 4.16: Class talking time ................................................................................ 93
Table 4.17: Teaching language ............................................................................... 94
Table 4.18: Teachers’ behavior .............................................................................. 97
APPENDIX
Appendix D: Raw data of the teachers’ questionnaire
Table D.1: Raw data of question 6..........................................................................144
Table D.2: Raw data of question 7..........................................................................145

Table D.3: Raw data of question 13........................................................................146
Table D.4: Raw data of question 14........................................................................146
Table D.5: Raw data of question 15........................................................................146
Table D.6: Raw data of question 16........................................................................148
Table D.7: Raw data of question 17........................................................................149
Appendix E: Raw data of the students’ questionnaire
Table E.1: Raw data of question 4 ..........................................................................150
Table E.2: Raw data of question 10 ........................................................................151

XI


LIST OF CHARTS

CHAPTER 4
Teachers’ responses to the survey questionnaire
Chart 4.1: Teachers’ understanding of the Communicative Approach.................. 66
Chart 4.2: Mistake correction ................................................................................. 68
Chart 4.3: Teachers’ and students’ talking time..................................................... 69
Chart 4.4: Teaching language................................................................................. 70
Chart 4.5: Teachers’ position during class communicative activities.................... 70
Chart 4.6: Time spent on teaching grammar and language skills .......................... 75
Chart 4.7: Teachers’ suggestions on the improvement
of the Communicative Approach......................................................... 79

Students’ responses to the survey questionnaire
Chart 4.8: The places the students come from ....................................................... 80
Chart 4.9: Years of study English .......................................................................... 81
Chart 4.10: Mistake correction ............................................................................... 83
Chart 4.11: Teachers’ and students’ talking time................................................... 84

Chart 4.12: Teaching language............................................................................... 85
Chart 4.13: Teachers’ position during communicative activities........................... 86

Class observation
Chart 4.14: Teachers’ position ...............................................................................95

XII


ABSTRACT
The thesis attempts to investigate the teachers’ role in applying the Communicative
Approach to ESP classes at Nong Lam University (NLU). Accordingly, some
solutions will be suggested to partially improve their role in the implementation of
this method.
215 students of 5 ESP classes were given the questionnaire which got information
about the communicative activities in their class, their teachers’ performance, and
their attitude towards the application of the Communicative Approach. Besides,
another questionnaire was distributed to 5 ESP teachers to ask about their
understanding of the Communicative Approach, the communicative activities they
conducted, how they corrected students’ mistakes, their role and position in the
classroom, the advantages and difficulties of applying this approach, and their
suggestions to improve the implementation of this method. Finally, all 5 ESP classes
were observed once by the researcher to check whether the teachers employed the
elements of the Communicative Approach or not.
The investigation revealed that the Communicative Approach was partially applied to
ESP classes at NLU though the teachers had quite clear understanding about the
principles of this approach. Besides, the teachers had to face many difficulties when
applying the Communicative Approach to ESP classes at NLU.
From the study finding, educational implications and recommendations were raised to
partially improve the teaching quality in ESP classes at NLU. Further research was

suggested with the hope to investigate the teachers’ role and their difficulties in
applying this teaching method at other universities.

XIII


Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The Communicative Approach to language teaching has been considered the most
popular way of teaching English in Vietnam. This is due to the awareness that
English has become the popular language and has been used widely in business as
well as science. Different from the traditional methods such as the Grammar –
Translation and the Audio-lingual methods, the Communicative Approach can help
students develop their communicative skills since “the purpose of language (and thus
the goal of language teaching) is communication” (Celce _Murcia, 1991,pp. 8,9).
In fact, the advantage of the Communicative Approach is to help students use the
language in real contexts (Littlewood, 2007). Brown (2000) also points out that “In
the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language,
productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts” (Brown, 2000, p. 204). This
approach encourages teaching practices that enhance communicative competence in
authentic contexts (Larsen – Freeman, 2000). Thanks to the development of this new
approach, many textbooks for teachers and teacher trainers are based on the nature of
communicative approaches and offer techniques for a wide range of ages and
purposes (Brown, 2000).
With the motivation to increase students’ communicative ability, instructors are
encouraged to apply the Communicative Approach to ESP classes at Ho Chi Minh

City Nong Lam University (NLU) since the 1990s. ESP is the name applied to the
1


Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

English non-majored classes at NLU. The purpose of these classes is to teach students
at the pre-intermediate level. Students are hoped to achive the communicative ability
in English at the end of the course. This has been seen as the major change in the
English teaching method at NLU. To achieve this goal, teaching materials have been
revised many times to create the authentic environment for the Communicative
Approach. However, despite this educational policy, it is likely that there have been
many challenges to the successful application. At the end of the semester, it is easy to
find out that many students cannot communicate or function well in the real contexts.
Consequently, it seems difficult to apply the Communicative Approach to ESP classes
at NLU. Perhaps students’ lack of time practicing communicative skills could be
attributed to the crowded class. Moreover, in contrast to the encouragement of
applying the Communicative Approach, NLU educational administrators still keep the
testing system focusing on the listening, reading, writing and grammar. As a result,
teachers seem to face the pressure of helping their students to pass the final exam;
therefore, the speaking skill might be ignored to focus on the other skills checked in
the final exam. It is possible that these obstacles have hindered the effective
application of the Communicative Approach.
Up to now, there have been many studies on the implementing of Communicative
Approach in Vietnamese classroom such as the studies of Greg Bock (2000), Nguyen
Thi Hoai Minh (2004), Phan Thi Hien (2007), and Nguyen Hoai Thu (2008). All of
these studies point out that there are three main reasons of the failure of the complete
Communicative Approach application. First, the institutions play a significant role in
preventing the Communicative Approach application due to the fact that the teachers
have to deal with large class size and the pressure of the traditional grammar – based

tests; as a consequence, the time for communicative activities is limited. Second,
students hesitate to take part in communicative activities in classroom because of the
low proficiency of English and the purpose of studying English for passing the
grammar-dominated test (Nguyen Thi Hoai Minh, 2004). In addition, the multilevel
2


Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

class is one of the obstacles of successfully implementing the Communicative
Approach (Phan Thi Hien, 2007). Finally, teachers’ lack of training of the
Communicative Approach and reluctance to use English while teaching also makes
the process of applying the Communicative Approach slow (Bock, 2000).
While there have been many researches on the other hindrances such as students’
motivation, class size, and so on, the role of teachers received little attention. Indeed,
most studies point out that the teacher’s problem is the lack of training and the low
proficiency of English. However, with the development of teacher training method
and the abundance of self-study materials for teachers, it’s possible that the teachers’
lack of training accounts for a small scale in the failure of the application of the
Communicative Approach. Therefore, there is a need to study the real role of the
teachers in the application of this approach.
1.2 AIMS OF THE STUDY
Based on the previous researches, it seems that the application of the Communicative
Approach is still unsuccessful due to the teachers’ work. Therefore, the aims of this
research are to investigate: (1) whether the teachers apply the Communicative
Approach to ESP classes at NLU or not; (2) how the teachers’ role makes an impact
on the successful application of the Communicative Approach.
The study of this issue is based on:
• A questionnaire asking ESP students about their previous learning experience, the
communicative activities their teachers conduct in class, their teachers’

performance, and their attitude towards the application of the Communicative
Approach.
• A questionnaire asking the teachers about their teaching experience, their
background of the Communicative Approach, the communicative activities they
organize in class, and the difficulties of applying the Communicative Approach.

3


Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

• Observations in ESP classes on the class talking time, the teaching language, the
teachers’ position and behavior in class.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study aims at answering the following questions:
1. To what extent is the Communicative Approach applied in ESP classes at NLU?
2. How does the teachers’ role make an impact on the application of the
Communicative Approach at NLU?
In order to find the answer to research question 2, two sub-questions are formed as
following:
a. What do the teachers understand about the Communicative Approach?
b. Are there any advantages or difficulties the teachers have in applying the
Communicative Approach to ESP classes at NLU?

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Applying the Communicative Approach to teaching English is now popular in
Vietnam. As a result, there are a number of researches done on the successfulness of
applying this method. However, most of the researches focus on the students’ attitude
and the difficulties of the institution while the role of the teachers receives less

attention. This study is thus significant for two following reasons.
First, the findings of this study, hopefully, will help teachers of English improve the
teaching quality. When they realize their important role in applying the
Communicative

Approach

and

understand

the

need

of

studying

English

communicatively, they can be more active in conducting communicative activities.
In addition, this study will partially help educational administrators realize the role of
the teachers in applying the Communicative Approach. It is obvious that educational
4


Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

administrators play a crucial role in enhancing the teaching methods in each

university. Upon realizing the key role of the teachers in applying the new method,
they can step by step improve the teaching quality at NLU such as holding training
course, seminar, changing the textbooks, and so on.

1.5 ASSUMPTIONS
The study is based on the following assumptions:
• The sample students and teachers represent the majority of ESP students and
teachers of NLU.
• The method and procedure of data collection and analysis are reliable and
appropriate to obtain the information to answer the research questions.
• The students and teachers taking part in the survey are honest in their responses, and
have no difficulties understanding the items of the questionnaire.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research is aimed to assess the current teaching situation at NLU, which will help
to partially improve the teaching quality here. The research subjects are teachers and
students of 5 ESP classes in the second semester of the academic year 2011-2012.
Due to the time limit, this paper just deals with some factors relevant to the teacher’s
role in applying the Communicative Approach to ESP classes at NLU.
1.7 ORGANIZATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE STUDY
Chapter 2 reviews the literature related to the study in three separated sections:
theoretical studies, the previous related studies in Vietnam, and the conceptual
framework of the study.

The theoretical study explains the definition of

communicative competence, the key term in the Communicative Approach. The

5

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

definition, principles of the Communicative Approach, the role of the teacher, the
techniques applied in implementing this approach, and the factors affecting this
application are also discussed. Besides, the related studies in Vietnam are reviewed to
have a general view of the application of the Communicative Approach in Vietnam.
Last, the conceptual framework is carefully designed so as to build the research
criteria in chapter 3.
Chapter 3 focuses on the methodology employed in the study. The research involves a
survey of the application of the communicative activities in ESP classes by
administering questions to 215 ESP students and 5 Vietnamese teachers of English.
The study also includes class observation in 5 ESP classes at NLU.
Chapter 4 presents and analyses the data collected in chapter 3 from the
questionnaires distributed to students/teachers and the class observation. The purpose
of this chapter is to (1) explore the current application of the Communicative
Approach to ESP classes at NLU, and (2) observe the teachers’ role in the application
of the Communicative Approach in class.
Chapter 5 concludes the study. It presents the implications of the study, makes some
suggestions on how to improve the application of the Communicative Approach to
ESP classes at NLU, and draws some implications for further research.

6


Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, in order to understand the purpose and characteristics of the

Communicative Approach, the definition of communicative competence will first be
discussed mainly by addressing the linguistic concepts of Chomsky, Hymes, Canale
and Swain. Then the definition and characteristics of the Communicative Approach
will be introduced. The roles of teachers and the techniques needed in applying the
Communicative Approach are also mentioned in this chapter. Next, some factors
related to the successful implementation of the Communicative Approach are
introduced. The recent studies of applying this method in Vietnam are also discussed
to give the general view of the situation. Finally, the conceptual framework of the
study is clearly stated from the theoretical framework to present the basis of this
investigation.

2.1 DEFINITION OF SOME RELATED TERMS:
Approach: A set of assumptions about the nature of language and the nature of
language teaching and learning (Savignon, 1983, p.103)
Grammar – Translation Method: An approach to studying a foreign language “ first
through detailed analysis of its grammar rules, followed by application of this
knowledge to the task of translating sentences and texts into and out of the target
language.” (Richards and Rodgers, 1998, p. 3)

7


Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Method: “a set of techniques or procedures. These usually follow a systematic
scheme. Unlike an approach, a method need not be tied to any particular theory about
language or learning, but may simply be claimed as successful in practice” (Huddard
et al, 1983,p. 329)

2.2 COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Originally, the first person to distinguish the term competence and performance is
Chomsky. According to Chomsky, competence is “the shared knowledge of the ideal
speaker-listener set in a completely homogeneous speech community” (Chomsky,
1965, p. 3). Thanks to this knowledge, language users can produce and understand an
infinite set of sentences out of a finite set of rules.
On the contrary, performance is related to the process of applying the underlying
knowledge to the actual language use, commonly stated as encoding and ecoding
(Chomsky, 1965). However, because performance can never directly reflect
competence except under the ideal circumstances (the ideal speaker-listener know and
use language perfectly without making any mistakes), performance cannot be relevant
to a linguistic theory for descriptive linguists. Therefore, according to Hymes (1972),
the most important idea of performance is “that of imperfect manifestation of
underlying system”.
Hymes (1972) has the opinion that a linguistic theory can deal with a heterogeneous
speech community, differential competence and the role of sociocultural features.
Hymes thinks that it is necessary to distinguish two kinds of competence: linguistic
competence which helps us produce and understand grammatically correct sentences,
and communicative competence helping us produce and understand sentences that are
appropriate and acceptable to a particular situation. Therefore, Hymes forms the term
“communicative competence” as “a knowledge of the rules for understanding and
producing both the referential and social meaning of language” (Hymes, 1972).
8


Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Later, Canale and Swain introduce a new theory of communicative competence,
which includes four types: grammatical competence, strategic competence, discourse
competence, and sociolinguistic competence (Canale and Swain, 1980). First,
grammatical competence includes knowledge of lexical items, morphology, syntax,

semantics, and phonology in a language. Second, strategic competence includes
verbal and non-verbal communication strategies that can be used when
communication is broken because of limiting conditions in actual communication or
lack of grammatical competence. Next, if the language users master discourse
competence, they know how to combine grammatical forms and meaning to achieve a
spoken or written text. Finally, sociolinguistic competence helps language users to
produce and interpret the utterances appropriately in different sociolinguistic contexts.

2.3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
2.3.1 Definitions of the Communicative Approach
In his book “Principles of language learning and teaching”, Brown (2000) offers the
following four interconnected characteristics as a definition of the Communicative
Approach:
1. Classroom goals are focused on all of the components of communicative
competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence.
2. Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic,
functional use of language for meaning full purposes. Organizational language forms
are not the central focus but rather aspects of language that 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.
(Brown, 2000, p.204)

9


Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.3.2 Characteristics and principles of the Communicative Approach
Applying the Communicative Approach requires a lot of efforts of teachers and
students as well as changes in teaching methods. Richards (2006) mentions that this
new approach to teaching requires a rethinking of classroom teaching methodology. It
is argued that learners learn a language through the process of communicating in it,
and that communication that is meaningful to the learner provides a better opportunity
for learning than through a grammar-based approach. He summarizes the principles of
the Communicative Approach as follows:
• Make real communication the focus of language teaching.
• Provide opportunities for learners to experiment and try out what they know.
• Be tolerant of learners’ errors as they indicate that the learner is building up his
or her communicative competence.
• Provide opportunities for learners to develop both accuracy and fluency.
• Link the different skills such as speaking, reading, and listening together, since
they usually occur so in the real world.
• Let students induce or discover grammar rules.
(Richards, 2006, p. 13)

Therefore, it is obvious that unlike the previous Grammar – Translation and the
Audiolingual methods, the Communicative Approach mainly focuses on the building
of students’ communicative competence so that they can communicative in the real
world. To understand more about this purpose, it is advisory to take an overview of
some important characteristics of the Communicative Approach.
2.3.2.1 Accuracy and Fluency
Richard and Rogers state that “the Communicative Approach in language teaching
starts from a theory of language as communication” (Richard and Rogers, 2001,
p.159).

As a result, students are encouraged to use the target language to

communicate meaningfully from the very initial stage. During this procedure, fluency
10


Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

is more important than accuracy. In the Communicative Approach, students first must
understand the message, accuracy may be achieved later.
2.3.2.2 Student-centered and teacher-centered
Richards and Rodgers point out that “the emphasis in communicative language
teaching on the processes of communication, rather than mastery of language forms,
leads to different roles for learners from those found in more traditional second
language classroom,” (Richards and Rogers, 2001, p.166). Students are now
considered as active participants; consequently, the Communicative Approach
changes the role of the teacher. According to Breen and Candlin (1980), the teacher
now has two main roles: one is to facilitate the communication process between all
participants in the classroom and the other is to act as an independent participant
within the learning-teaching group (Breen and Candlin, 1980).
Due to the change in the teacher’s role, the teaching environments also changed. The
Communicative Approach emphasized on student-centered teaching. Savignon (1991)
states that “communicative language teaching has become a term for methods and
curricula that embrace both the goals and the processes of classroom learning, for
teaching practice that views competence in terms of social interaction” (p.263). Li
(1998) also emphasizes that the design of instruction methods need to reflect the
interest, styles, and goals of different individual learners.
2.3.2.3 Authentic textbook
The Communicative Approach also introduces the use of authentic material in class
(Karim, 2004). Littlewood (1981) explains that students will have opportunities to
expose to the language actually used by native speakers if they use authentic

materials. Similarly, Canale and Swain (1980) state that thanks to the students’
response to genuine communicative needs in realistic second language situations, they
can develop strategies to understand the language used by native speakers in reality.
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