Evaluating the Communicative Competence of EFL Students in Iraqi Universities

Abstract

Abstract Recent teaching methods have made communication competence (CC) a central component, and the enhancement of EFL students' communicative competence has been given a great deal of attention in recent years. Within this context, this study was designed to assess the CC of Iraqi students majoring in English Language and literature at the tertiary level. In order to achieve this objective, the researchers aimed to collect responses from 509 Iraqi EFL students who are affiliated to six universities in different geographical regions of Iraq. The questionnaire used for this purpose consisted of 36 items which addressed six themes, namely General Competence, Behavioral Flexibility, Empathy, Affiliation/Support, Social Relaxation, and Interaction Management. The study addressed five research questions. The quantitative analyses of the collected data showed that Iraqi EFL students have, generally speaking, a moderate level of CC, and that their CC was significantly affected by their age. However, the gender and affiliation of the participants did not have any statistically significant impact on their CC. In addition, the results showed that there is a positive correlation between the five facets of CC. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the CC of Iraqi EFL students is not well-developed and need to be improved. Therefore, the study suggested some pedagogical implications to improve their communicative competence.