Communicative language teaching and English as a foreign language undergraduates’ communicative competence in Tourism English

Abstract

Due to the increasing demand of English-speaking professionals in the tourism and hospitality industry, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of implementing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) on cultivating undergraduates' communicative competence in Tourism English in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. This study adopted mixed methods research design. 70 Taiwanese undergraduates were recruited to participate in the pretests (paper-based and oral-based), pre-questionnaires, posttests (paper-based and oral-based), post-questionnaires, and focus group interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed via descriptive analysis and paired-samples t-test. Qualitative data was examined by thematic analysis. Findings indicated that students' progress towards better communicative competence in paper-based tests and oral-based tests were both significant. Their perceptions of communicative competence also echoed the results. The findings of the study implied that Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) facilitates students’ English learning, raises their confidence, and enhances their communicative competence in Tourism English. This study ultimately provides practical suggestions for pedagogy.