The Implementation of Communicative Language Teaching: An Investigation of Students' Viewpoints

The research study seeks to extend the understanding of the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in classrooms through listening to students' opinions. By employing focus group interviews with senior high school students, the study explores learner attitudes and perceptions of the classroom instruction they have experienced. The findings indicate that despite The Taiwan Ministry of Education's (MOE's) efforts in promoting CLT, the exam-oriented learning is still inclined toward memorization, grammar and translation. This shows the difficulty for CLT to get integrated with the deep-rooted traditional teaching and learning methods in Taiwan. However, one of the findings also suggests that most participants hold positive attitudes towards a more communicative-based language teaching, which reflects the correct direction that the MOE is moving towards in its recent curricular change. There is need to slightly shift the focus of English teaching in the classroom to achieve students' long-term goal, which is to develop their English communicative competence.