Implementing Communicative Approaches in English Language Teaching: The Case of Burkina Faso

Esther Some-Guiebre

doi:10.32996/ijels.2021.3.11.6

Abstract

This article explores the implementation of communicative approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Burkina Faso. Ten years after the revision of the syllabi, the implementation of communicative approaches in EFL teaching is still lagging. Teachers are still struggling to enact communicative approaches in the classroom. This article seeks to understand the factors that hinder the achievement of the communicative goals set by policymakers. This article investigates those hindrances under the lens of teachers who are the expected enactors of communicative approaches in the classroom. It used a mixed methodology for data collection, and the participants are teachers and teacher supervisors. Data analysis consisted of the integration of quantitative data into qualitative thematic units of analysis. The findings revealed that the implementation of communicative approaches did not go beyond the definition of the communicative goal and the design of communicative syllabi. The textbooks and the teaching methodologies remained traditional and teachers did not receive appropriate contextualized training to apply communicative approaches in their classes.

Highlights

This article explores the implementation of communicative approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Burkina Faso
Data analysis unveils a contradiction in using the syllabi implemented in English as a foreign language teaching in middle schools in Burkina Faso. 89,4% of questionnaire respondents report owning the syllabi in use
From the perspective taken in the literature review, the development of communicative competence in EFL teaching entails the integration of grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence (Canale & Swain, 1980)

Summary

Introduction

This article explores the implementation of communicative approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Burkina Faso. This article seeks to understand the factors that hinder the achievement of the communicative goals set by policymakers This article investigates those hindrances under the lens of teachers who are the expected enactors of communicative approaches in the classroom. It used a mixed methodology for data collection, and the participants are teachers and teacher supervisors. 1. Introduction This article explores the implementation of the syllabi of English as a foreign language teaching in Burkina Faso. In 2010, the goal of communicative competence was translated into the classroom through the revision of the former grammatical syllabi and the design and implementation of functional syllabi (Some-Guiebre, 2018). Strategic competence implies the use of verbal and nonverbal strategies in communication

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Conclusion