Jul 2026· Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報). The journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA· 0 citations· 32 references
Abstract
The cultivation of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become an increasingly important objective in language
education. The rapid global expansion of Chinese as a second language (CSL) education has highlighted a gap in research on how in-service
CSL teachers conceptualize and implement ICC teaching. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining an online survey of 108 CSL
teachers from seven universities in Tianjin, China alongside semi-structured interviews with eight in-service CSL teachers to further
examine their cognition and stated practices in teaching ICC. The findings indicate that while CSL teachers generally demonstrate a strong
foundation in Chinese cultural knowledge and hold positive attitudes toward ICC teaching, their pedagogical skills for integrating ICC are
less fully developed. A pronounced gap was detected between CSL teachers’ cognition and stated practices regarding ICC teaching, largely
constrained by rigid curriculum structures, linguistically-driven teaching materials, and limited instructional time. This study provides
context-sensitive empirical evidence from northern Chinese university settings. It also identifies a pattern that differs from prior
research: CSL teachers’ ICC teaching is primarily knowledge- and attitude-oriented rather than skills-oriented.
Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is increasingly recognized as a key competence in Chinese higher education, making it an essential component of global citizenship. Culture-based teaching is widely regarded as an important pathway for fostering ICC in College English education; however, research on its implementation and effectiveness remains limited. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines. A total of 959 records were initially identified from Scopus, ERIC, and WOS. After screening and eligibility assessment, 15 studies published between 2021 and 2025 were included for analysis. The findings reveal that culture-based teaching approaches, such as culture comparison, task-based learning, and technology-enhanced practices (e.g. telecollaboration) play a positive role in promoting students’ intercultural awareness, communicative skills, and critical cultural reflection. However, these approaches are often constrained by four key challenges, including the marginalized ICC in curriculum design, limited teacher preparedness and practical guidance, learners’ low engagement and intercultural awareness, and insufficient technological support. In addition, the review highlights a predominance of quantitative and mixed-methods research designs, with a strong reliance on self-reported data and limited use of longitudinal and performance-based approaches. These findings provide practical implications for improving ICC-oriented teaching and suggest directions for future research.
Hongyan Liao, Hanita Hanim Ismail, Nur Ainil Binti Sulaiman· World Journal of English Lan...· 0 citations
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which centers on developing learners’ authentic communicative competence, has been widely adopted as a mainstream approach in foreign language education in China. This paper first reviews the theoretical origins and framework of CLT, then examines its pedagogical strengths in light of the requirements of China’s New English Curriculum Standards, and analyzes the practical challenges it encounters in classroom implementation. Drawing on the post-method pedagogy, the paper further explicates the core tenets of post-method thinking and its inherent relationship with CLT, arguing that CLT should be integrated with other teaching approaches in the post-method era. The study finds that CLT alone cannot fully address the needs of local foreign language classrooms in China. Foreign language teachers should therefore reconstruct classroom practice through a post-method lens, moving beyond a rigid adherence to any single method. By integrating diverse pedagogical strategies in response to actual classroom contexts, teachers can foster the coordinated development of students’ foundational language proficiency and communicative competence.
Huan Hu· International Journal of Edu...· 0 citations
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been widely promoted as an approach emphasizing communicative competence and purposeful language use. Despite its prominence in English language education, a persistent gap exists between teachers' awareness and classroom implementation of CLT principles, particularly in non-native contexts such as Oman. While previous studies have quantified teacher awareness, limited qualitative research has explored how teachers interpret and adapt CLT within their specific classroom contexts. This qualitative case study investigated how six Omani English teachers in government post-basic schools (Grades 11–12) conceptualised and interpreted CLT within their classroom contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using the Codes–Categories–Themes (CO–CAT) framework to identify patterns in teachers' perspectives. Teachers associated effective implementation of CLT with supportive classroom environments that foster confidence and communication. Teachers also viewed CLT as context-dependent, influenced by learner proficiency, lesson focus, instructional time, and classroom conditions, resulting in selective and adaptive implementation practices. Teachers conceptualised CLT not simply as a collection of communicative techniques, but as a set of interconnected conditions that support classroom communication, including learner participation, authentic language use, emotional support, and contextual adaptation. The study contributes to understanding the theory–practice gap as a process of professional judgement rather than a failure of implementation. The findings may inform teacher professional development, curriculum implementation, and communicative language teaching practices in Oman and similar EFL contexts.
Amal Salim Alhanashi, Paolus Sulaiman· International journal of res...· 0 citations
English language teaching in Ethiopia increasingly emphasizes communicative competence, yet classroom implementation often remains teacher-centred and provides limited opportunities for intercultural learning. This study examines how Ethiopian EFL teachers perceive Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), how their perceptions appear in classroom practice, and how CLT supports students’ intercultural competence. A qualitative multiple-case study involves 12 secondary-school English teachers selected purposively from Ethiopian schools. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, field notes, and demographic forms. The data are analysed thematically through familiarization, coding, categorization, within-case analysis, cross-case comparison, and theme development. The findings show that most teachers view CLT positively and associate it with participation, speaking practice, pair work, group discussion, role-play, and confidence building. However, their classroom practices only partly reflect these beliefs because many activities remain teacher-controlled, textbook-dependent, and focused on accuracy. Teachers also recognize the relationship between language and culture, although several interpret intercultural learning mainly as knowledge of customs and cultural facts. CLT contributes moderately to students’ intercultural competence when tasks include authentic interaction, cultural comparison, perspective-taking, negotiation of meaning, and reflective discussion. Its effectiveness depends on teacher mediation, task design, scaffolding, authentic materials, feedback, assessment alignment, professional development, class size, instructional time, learner proficiency, and institutional support. The study concludes that positive perceptions alone do not ensure effective intercultural CLT. Context-sensitive training, reflective communicative tasks, suitable materials, and assessment of intercultural outcomes are necessary to strengthen classroom implementation. These findings connect teacher cognition, classroom interaction, and intercultural learning within the realities of Ethiopian secondary education.
Teresso Tafa, Esmeralda Bhotana, Agus Wandi et al.· Journal of Language Studies...· 0 citations
This study examines the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in elementary school contexts to enhance students’ communicative competence. The study addresses the gap between theoretical assumptions of CLT and its practical application in classrooms, particularly within the Indonesian educational setting. The objective of this research is to analyze how CLT strategies are applied and to evaluate their impact on students’ speaking skills and classroom interaction. A qualitative research design was employed, involving classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and document analysis. The findings indicate that the use of communicative activities such as role play, group discussions, and interactive tasks significantly improves students’ confidence and ability to communicate in English. However, several challenges were identified, including limited teacher proficiency, lack of instructional resources, and constraints related to traditional teaching practices. The study concludes that CLT is an effective approach for promoting active learning and communicative competence in elementary education. Its successful implementation requires adequate teacher training and contextual adaptation. These findings contribute to the development of more effective language teaching practices in primary education.
Keywords: communicative competence; communicative language teaching; elementary education; speaking skills
This study examines the feasibility and pedagogical value of incorporating Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT) into Taiwanese bilingual elementary English education, an area that remains critically underexplored despite the rapid global expansion of bilingual schooling. Focusing on a Taiwanese elementary school operating under the Bilingual 2030 policy, the study draws on semi‐structured interviews and focus group discussions to examine teachers' perceptions of bilingual teaching experiences and possibilities for integrating GELT principles into curricula. Findings reveal that bilingual education aligns well with GELT principles and serves as a catalyst for re‐shaping teachers' language ideologies. Despite institutional constraints, attachments to “native” English norms and societal expectations, participants expressed a strong willingness to adopt GELT. The study advances understanding of how GELT can be meaningfully implemented at the foundational stages of education and how bilingual education acts as a setting where language ideologies begin to take shape. The findings underscore the pivotal role of teacher professional development, successful classroom implementation of curricular innovation, teacher collaboration, and teacher agency in driving GELT‐informed curricula change. Although centered on a single school, the study contributes original evidence from an underrepresented educational context and provides timely, practice‐grounded perspectives on how bilingual education systems can support more equitable, globally oriented ELT.