Student perceptions of communicative conditions in the language learning classroom

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of Korean university students with respect to the importance of the communicative conditions (CCs) in the communicative language teaching (CLT) classroom environment. It drew upon the theoretical underpinnings of Activity Theory (Engestrom, 1987) in order to illuminate the relevance of particular CCs in relation to student participation in communicative activity. Data were collected and analyzed according to a two-phase and mixed-methods design. In the first phase, the 47-item Communicative Language Learning Class Conditions Survey (CLLCCS) was constructed and completed by 158 student participants. The results of the survey were ranked according to the perceived importance of the students. Significant differences among students of various self-reported ability levels and different teacher-led classes were also identified. Based on the initial survey results, the most important CCs were reduced to a list of 11 items from which students provided written explanations for what they perceived to be the three most important items. The results highlight key features of effective CLT-related pedagogical approaches, including, but not limited to, features of teacher support and concerns pertaining to students of varying levels of ability