Open AccessTeachers’ Perceptions of the Communicative Language Approach at a Saudi University
Author(s) -
Ozma Siddiqui,
Fariha Asif
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of english language education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2325-0887
DOI - 10.5296/ijele.v6i1.12579
Subject(s) - fluency , arabic , psychology , perception , communicative language teaching , mathematics education , foreign language , qualitative property , statistical analysis , english as a foreign language , pedagogy , medical education , language education , linguistics , computer science , medicine , mathematics , statistics , philosophy , neuroscience , machine learning
The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach has been widely popular in foreign language classrooms for a number of decades, but in recent years some practitioners have begun questioning the technique which prioritizes fluency over accuracy. This paper aims to record the perceptions of teachers using CLT to teach English as a foreign language at a Saudi university. It will also take into consideration some of the pitfalls and make some recommendations. A total of 35 participants, all members of faculty took part in the study. A mixed methods approach was used to collect the data. A questionnaire provided the statistical data for the study and semi-structured interviews were used to gather qualitative data. The statistical information was run through the SPSS. The findings indicate that while a substantial number of teachers at this university find the CLT approach a useful way to teach English to homogenous groups of Arabic speaking students, there is a need to be eclectic and incorporate other approaches for effective teaching.