The problems of implementing a communicative approach to English as a second language (higher grade)

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:In 1986 a new English Second Language syllabus for the Junior andSenior Secondary Course was introduced in the Cape· Province. Theoverall aim of the syllabus is communicative competence and itadvocates a communicative approach (CA) to teaching English SecondLanguage. At the inception of the communicative approach mostteachers were i~rnorant of what it comprised and this studyundertook to determine whether teachers understood whatCommunicative Language Teaching (CLT) was and if they applied itin their teaching.At first the demands of society and how this had influencedlanguage teaching through the ages was investigated. Communicativecompetence was demanded at different stages in history andit is at these different stages where the CA has its roots. Manyof the principles of the CA, it was discovered, had been appliedby teachers and theorists many centuries ago.Teachers and theorists who teach language for communication seelanguage in a different light. Language and its unique propertiesare investigated, and with an emphasis · on language ascommunication. Different ways of using language to communicateare investigated and questions like ''Where does meaning reside?What are the kinds of meaning? and How can we control meaning?are discussed.Prior to the introduction of the CA, second language teaching hadbeen devoted to mastery of structures. However, with the newinsights gained about language and meaning, the focus shifted tomeaning in coherent discourse rather than on discrete forms.With the shift in focus teachers also had to adjust their teachingto meet the demands.At this stage a brief discussion of the CA and the essentials of acommunicative curriculum is provided. The comparison betweentraditional and communicative approaches is made. An account of CLT methodology is given, including exploration of communicativecompetence. Many practical examples of CLT are explained.In the empirical study a questionnaire was distributed to the ESLteachers at thirty schools in the Boland and Northern Suburbs ofCape Town. The aim of the research was to determine whether ESLteachers teach communicatively.The findings of the study were that teachers who were trainedbefore 1986 and those trained subsequently have a limited view ofthe CA. Consequently they cannot apply it to their teaching andseem to revert to a structural interpretation of the syllabus.This study then, confirms that teachers do not have a fullunderstanding of what the CA comprises and consequently teachersdo not teach communicatively.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University