Emerging Interaction Patterns in the Use of the Communicative Approach: A case of a 9th Grade English Language Classroom

Year 2015, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 2 - 14, 28.06.2015

Ferdane Denkci Akkas Berna Çöker

Abstract

In emphasizing the development of communicative competence, the communicative approach aims to enable learners to use language as a tool to negotiate meanings. Since its appearance in the 60s and 70s, it has been keeping its popularity in language teaching contexts in many countries in the world. Although the national foreign language curriculum depends on the principles of the communicative approach in Turkey as well, it is seen that foreign language teaching is not performed in a communicative way due to some challenges and problems (Coşkun, 2011; Özşevik, 2010). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the communicative approach in a 9th grade classroom to describe the features of the interaction patterns and to understand the situation from the perspectives of the teacher and the students. The participants are the students and the teacher 9^th grade class of an Anatolian high school in 2012-2013 academic year. The class was observed for one hour per week for a semester to determine the communicative features of the classroom activities and interactions. The data were collected via COLT (Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching) observation schemes (Allen, Fröhlich & Spada, 1983) and interview questions. The data from the observation schemes were analyzed by proportion calculations whereas a content analysis was carried out with the data from the interviews. The results have revealed that the 9^th grade language class reflects important characteristics of a communicative classroom. However, the learners mostly produce pre-prepared and rehearsed interaction, and so they need to be guided and trained to use the target language in a more meaningful and creative way as it happens in natural discourse

Keywords

Communicative approach, interaction, communicative competence

References

• References
• Akpınar-Dellal, N., & Çınar, S. (2011). Yabancı dil eğitiminde iletişimsel yararcı yaklaşım, öğretmen rolleri, davranışları ve sınıf içi iletişim. Dil Dergisi, 154, 21-36.
• Allen, P. & Fröhlich, M. & Spada, N. (1983). The communicative orientation of language teaching: an observation scheme. Retrieved from the ERIC database. (ED 275 155)
• Altan, M. Z. (2006). Preparation of foreign language teachers in Turkey: A challenge for the 21st century. Dil Dergisi, 134, 49-54.
• Altınuç, Z. (2012). English teachers' perception of communicative language teaching-a qualitative research. Published MA thesis, Yeditepe University Institute of Social Sciences.
• Arı, A. (2014). İlköğretim altıncı sınıf ingilizce dersi öğretim programına ilişkin öğretmen görüşleri. Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi, 7(2), 172-194.
• Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. New York: Longman.
• Canale, M. (1983). From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy. In J. C. Richards & R. W. Schmidt (Eds.), Language and communication (pp.2-27). Harlow, UK: Longman.
• Coşkun, A. (2011). 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, 2(1), 85-109.
• Crawford, J. (2004). The role of materials in the language classroom. In Richards, J. C. & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching (pp. 80-91). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Harmer, J. (1987). The practice of English language teaching. New York: Longman.
• Hunutlu, Ş. (2011). Communicative language teaching in Turkey: teachers' views and classroom practices. Published MA thesis, Atatürk University Institute of Educational Sciences.
• Işık, A. (2008). Yabancı dil eğitiminde yanlışlar nereden kaynaklanıyor?. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 4 (2), 15-26.
• Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: methodology and design. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Nergis, A. (2011). Foreign language teacher education in Turkey: A historical overview. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 181-185.
• Oral, Y. (2010). Türkiye’de yabancı dil eğitim politikaları bağlamında İngilizce: ‘Eleştirel bir çalışma’. Alternatif Eğitim E-Dergisi, 1(1), 59-68.
• Ozsevik, Z. (2010). The use of communicative language teaching (CLT): Turkish EFL teachers’ perceived difficulties in implementing CLT in turkey. Published MA thesis, University of Illinois.
• Phipps, S., & Borg, S. (2009). Exploring tensions between teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and practices. System, 37(3), 380-390.
• Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. H. (2002). Approaches and methods in language teaching. The USA: Cambridge University Press.
• Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. The USA: Cambridge University Press.
• Richards, K. (2003). Qualitative inquiry in tesol. The US: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Seferaj, K. (2009). Investigating the degree into which clt is ımplemented in twentythree efl classes in an east-european post-communist country. Published dissertation thesis, University of Leicester.
• Spada, N., & Fröhlich, M. (1995). Communicative orientation of language teaching observation scheme coding conventions and applications. Sydney: NCELTR.
• Spada, N. (2007). Communicative language teaching: Current status and future prospects. In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International handbook of English language teaching (pp. 271-288). New York: Springer.
• Türnüklü, A. (2000). Eğitimbilim araştırmalarında etkin olarak kullanılabilecek nitel bir araştırma tekniği: görüşme. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Yönetimi Dergisi, 6(4), 543-559.
• Weir, C. J. (1988). Communicatıve language testing. Great Britain: University of Exeter.
• Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (1999). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma teknikleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayınları.