Developing Communicative Competence in English Lessons in Primary Education and Its Transformation in the 21st Century

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the development of communicative competence in English language learning at the primary school level and to identify the formation of productive and receptive language skills. In education, increasing importance is given not only to the acquisition of language knowledge, but also to the ability to communicate effectively in various situations, which includes both oral and written skills, as well as the ability to adapt language to the social and cultural context. The theoretical foundations are based on the definition of the elements of communicative competence, which has been developed since the 20th century, and modern research on the most effective methods for its development in primary school is also reviewed, including dialogue creation, interactive games, storytelling, project work and interdisciplinary activities. Research on the need to integrate digital communication skills into the modern learning process was also reviewed. In the context of digital transformation, it has become obvious to develop not only students' digital communicative competence, which allows for the meaningful use of new language forms and digital platforms, but also a new dimension of teachers' professional competence – digital pedagogical communicative competence, which includes the ability to plan, manage and evaluate the learning process in a digital environment. The empirical part used students' answers about their experience in using English and teachers' assessments of students' communicative competence skills in English. Research question: What is the communicative competence in English of primary school students and how can it be improved? Main conclusions: receptive language skills are better developed than productive ones, girls demonstrate higher performance in oral skills, but students who regularly use the language outside of school achieve higher overall results. Elements of communicative competence develop throughout, especially through the active use of productive language skills.