Challenges Faced By Teachers In Adopting Communicative Language Teaching

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162speaking tests. The success was attributed to the students who were not afraid to make mistakesand embraced the method which allowed them to express themselves freely.In addition, CLT has the potential to increase motivation and enthusiasm among students tospeak fearlessly in classrooms. Ghosn (2010) surveyed both teachers and students by askingthem to fill in two separate questionnaires. The results indicated learners’ attitude among mostof the students changed positively. Teachers’ motivation to use CLT in English lessons wasreflected in the students’ motivation to learn in an active student-centered environment.According to Adi (2012), an ideal class number for CLT should not exceed 25 students. It iscommon in Indonesia for students to learn in a class consisting of 40-50 students. Unlike westernculture, where teachers are viewed as facilitators and equal partners in the learning process, theIndonesian culture as part of Asian culture is often considered a barrier in creating acommunicative form of English learning (Sholihah, 2012). Culture has a bearing on therelationship between teachers’ and students’ viewpoints on learning and communicationpatterns. The teacher is often regarded as a superior and omniscient figure in disseminatinginformation and knowledge. The students are not expected to question, dispute or engage indiscussions with their teachers. This culture is also prominent in several schools in China (M.Chang, 2011).Powell (2015) however showed that small classes need not necessarily be better than largeclasses and vice versa. She also gave the pros and cons of teaching in both large and smallclasses. Small classes have three main advantages. First, there is closer relationship betweenteachers and students. Second, both low and high achievers can benefit in a small class. Studentswho are struggling to follow lessons are more likely to receive extra help in a smaller classsetting. Third, large classes are not necessarily a bane in teaching and learning English. Morestudents mean more ideas can be generated in class. Diverse opinions and views from morestudents provide richer information to be utilized in a creative manner. Similarly, Zhang (2014)noticed several benefits in teaching large classes as they provide more opportunities for studentinteraction.The CLT method or Communicative Approach was introduced in Taiwan in the late 1970s tosomewhat replace traditional methods of teaching all English Language skills (M. Chang, 2011).S. C. Chang (2011) was sceptical of the opinions of numerous Taiwanese scholars and expertswho discussed the merits of teaching grammar through the Grammar Translation Method(GTM) instead of the CLT method. He tested both methods to determine which method wasmore appropriate for teaching and learning grammar for the experiment. Two classes wereselected from the Applied Foreign Language Department and the classes were taught using theGrammar Translation Method and the CLT method respectively. The results favored theassertion made earlier by the Taiwanese scholars and experts. The grammar test scores of the153CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162students who were taught in the GTM method class were higher than that in the CLT methodclass. However, the researcher was of the view that combining of both methods would haveyielded better results that adhering strictly to a single method. This finding could only have beenascertained if a third methodology combining GTM method and CLT method was used in theresearch.Likewise, M. Chang (2011) explained that the effectiveness of CLT is integrated between policyand practice. The factors that impacted the implementation of the CLT method in Taiwan wererelated to teachers, students, the educational system and suitability of CLT in the local context.Teachers need to have proper training, not only to understand the concepts of the CLT method,but also to successfully implement them in classrooms. Teachers should not discard the CLTmethod and revert to traditional methods because of the barriers they faced in the initial stages.For example, students may be passive or shy to participate in class activities. They may not beready for the exclusive use of English and not their mother tongue in classrooms. The CLTmethod cannot attain the desired results if students do not want to participate or engage in groupwork. Teachers should give a certain amount of time for students to adjust to the new learningenvironment. However, the implementation of the CLT method would be difficult in a situationwhere the focus of the education system is on examinations and students’ grades. Examinationsneed to be modified to include the CLT method components such as speaking competency. Thecurriculum should be in line with the CLT method activities and exercises.Studies by Panhwar, Baloch and Khan (2017) and, M. Chang (2011) also highlighted that theCLT method cannot be effective in large classes as it is more difficult to monitor classroomactivities. A teacher cannot give equal opportunities to all students to practice English in aclassroom of more than 40 students within an hour.3. MethodologyThe researchers employed a qualitative method using interviews to collect the data. For thisstudy, the participants were teachers from a small national primary school in the Klang Valley,Malaysia. The primary school has a population of 520 students from year one to year six. Therewere three classes for each standard or year. The classes were not graded so the level of Englishlanguage proficiency of students from each class was only at an average level. This assertion isalso reflected in the results of the academic tests given to students from time to time. In otherwords, each class had a proper mix of high achievers and moderate students. Each classconsisted of 35 to 45 students. The usage of English language outside the school was limited.The students were from the middle and upper middle socio-economic status. Most of thestudents did not use the English language beyond academic requirements.154CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162There were 12 English language teachers in the primary school. Based on purposive sampling,one male and two female teachers who were teaching year four were selected as samples for thestudy. Two of them had between10-12 years of teaching experience and one of them had morethan 13 years of teaching experience. Based on the reports from the school headmaster, all threehad tertiary qualifications and teaching experience in all standards from standards 1 to 6. Twoof the teachers held a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English language teaching while oneheld a Master of Arts degree, majoring in English language teaching. The data for this study wasgathered through focus group interview sessions. The interviews were tape recorded andtranscribed by the researchers. The data were then analyzed to identify emerging themes.4. Findings and discussionRQ1: What are the challenges faced by teachers in adopting the CLT method in the ESLclassroom?Interview question 1: Do you think the CLT method benefits students in the ESLclassroom?Teacher A (male)Yes, . to a certain extent.Teacher B (female)I think so .Teacher C (female)Yes, but not always.Interview question 2: Do you employ the CLT method in your ESL classroom?Teacher A (male)Yes, but not to the maximum level.Teacher B (female)Yes, sometimes.Teacher C (female)Yes, I try to utilize this method when necessary.155CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162Interview question 3: What are the challenges faced by you (teachers) in adopting CLTmethod in your ESL classroom?Teacher A (male)It is not easy to adopt the CLT method. To be frank, I am more examinationoriented because the number of passes in the Ujian Peperiksaan Sekolah Rendah(UPSR) is more important for the school than the proficiency of speaking skills.Moreover, speaking skill is not tested in UPSR. So, more emphasis is given onwriting and grammar components.Teacher B (female)A lot of challenges There is less focus on speaking activities in the classroomcompared to writing because speaking skills are not tested in UPSR examinationwhich is a standardized examination for students in primary 6.Teacher C (Female)I also feel that students are not from English speaking families though they arefrom a city area. Mother tongue is their only tool of communication at home andschool. English is only used by them if they are forced to speak in the classroom. Iprefer to use Malay language as a tool of translation and moreover allow studentsto speak Malay language in the classroom as an encouragement for the studentsto participate. This is due to the students who are shy to speak and reluctant toparticipate in classroom activities.Teacher A (male)Hmm CLT focuses on fluency but teachers’ focus on accuracy as teachers rigidlyfollow the grammar rules. This make students easily give up speaking Thismethod is not suitable for all students and teachers too. Thus, this method will besuitable for advance and intermediate rather than for beginner.Teacher B (Female)Eh sometimes I start the lesson with CLT method but later switch to traditionalmethod as I feel that I must emphasize certain grammar component that ended upin drilling.Teacher C (Female)One more problem .Ah most of the time only one teacher is selected from aschool to attend CLT training. The teachers do not carry out in house training forthe others due to time constraints and senior teachers are not keen to learn as theyfeel their traditional method is always superior.CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019156

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162The responses to interview questions 1 and 2 clearly suggested that all the three teachers werenot 100% convinced that the CLT method benefitted the students in the ESL classroom. Theirresponses also indicated that they did not employ the method frequently in teaching.In relation to the challenges faced by teachers in utilizing the CLT method in the classroom,Teacher A stressed that it was not easy to adopt the CLT method. His teaching method was moreexamination orientated because the number of passes in public examination (UPSR) is moreimportant for the school than the proficiency of speaking skills. As such, he did not giveemphasis to speaking skills which is not tested in the public examinations. Similarly, Teacher Basserted that she gave less importance to speaking activities in the classroom compared towriting because speaking skills are not tested in the UPSR examination. The findings of thestudy provided evidence that the sampled teachers were unable to carry out the CLT method asthey preferred more examination-oriented teaching method? in order to achieve high grades inthe Malaysian standard examination. This is consistent with the results of a study by M. Chang(2011).In addition, Teacher A said that although the CLT method focuses on fluency in speaking, theteachers focused on accuracy as they rigidly followed the grammar rules. As such, the studentseasily gave up on speaking English in the classroom. According to Teacher A, the CLT methodis more suitable for students at the advanced and intermediate levels rather than for beginners atthe primary level. These findings paralleled the findings by Raissi et al., (2013) which showedthat teachers believed that grammar should be taught using traditional methods such asintroducing sentence patterns and sentence structures.However, Teacher C opined that although her students are from the urban areas, they did notspeak in English because they are not from English speaking backgrounds. Most of the time,they spoke in their mother tongue at home and in school. As such, she used the translationmethod to teach English. She also allowed her students to speak using the Malay languageduring English classes as an encouragement for her students to participate in class activities. Ifshe used the CLT method, the students felt shy to speak and were reluctant to participate in theclassroom activities. These findings are consistent with the findings by Raissi et al., (2013)which indicated that teachers often applied the translation method in secondary school ESLclasses as they thought this method was more secure for teachers and students.Teacher B, who sometimes started her lessons with the CLT method, tended to switch totraditional methods because she felt that she should emphasize on certain grammar componentsand ended up in drilling her students. In other words, she found it difficult to employ the CLTmethod in her ESL classroom. These findings also indicated that the sampled teachers did nothave thorough knowledge and skills in utilizing the CLT method in the classroom. Thesefindings are also consistent with the findings by Sato and Kleinsasser (1999) who stressed thatthose teachers who did not have a thorough understanding of CLT could hardly developpractices; thus, they tended to return to traditional methods.157CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162Teacher C highlighted that another challenge that teachers face for implementing CLT is thelack of training. According to her, most of the time, only one teacher was selected from eachschool to attend the trainings provided by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) orEducation Department. The teachers who attended the training did not carry out inhouse trainingfor the others due to time constraints. As such, the knowledge and the skills were not impartedto rest of the English teachers. Furthermore, senior English teachers were not keen to learn newmethods (CLT) as they felt that their traditional methods are always superior.RQ2: What are the teachers’ suggestions to carry out the CLT method in the ESL classroom?Teacher A (Male)CLT method is difficult if the education system focuses too much on examination andstudent’s grades. Policy makers should make speaking and communication skills inEnglish as aspects to be examined in standardized exam.Teacher B (Female)Our education system should not be examination orientated, then teachers will have moretime for CLT. Also, there must be more training and workshops for English teachers onCLT. Senior teachers must use CLT, not traditional methods or translation method. Andencourage students to speak in English in ESL classroom.Teacher C (Female)The teacher who went for CLT training must carry out inhouse training for other Englishteachers. This is important then only we can learn the knowledge, skills and how to carryout class is big. I suggest that teachers’ theoretical knowledge of the method needs to begood in order to practice CLT in the classroom.Teacher A (Male)Student number in our class is big, 45 students. Around 20 students is easier to apply CLT.The findings from the interviews indicated that the sampled teachers were unable to carry outthe CLT method because the focus of the Malaysian education system is mainly on examinationsand student grades (Teacher A and Teacher B). If the system is changed, teachers will have moretime to adopt the CLT method to teach speaking skills to primary school students. In addition,Teacher A opined that policy makers should make speaking and communication skills in Englisha component to be examined in examinations so that schools and teachers will give moreemphasis to CLT.158CUeJAR Volume 1 Issue 2 2019

City University eJournal of Academic Research (CUeJAR), 1(2) 2019; 149-162Teacher B and Teacher C suggested that the teachers’ theoretical knowledge of the CLT methodbe improved in order for them to practice it in the classroom. As such, it is important to equipEnglish teachers with CLT knowledge and skills through inhouse trainings and workshops.Teacher B stressed that senior teachers should not discard the CLT method and revert totraditional methods and translation methods. She is of the opinion that teachers shouldencourage students to speak in English in the ESL classroom.In addition, Teacher A informed that currently student enrolments in the classrooms are large(about 45 students in a class). As such, it is difficult for the teachers to do good monitoring andemploy CLT. A class of around 20 students would be ideal for CLT implementation. Thesefindings supported the findings by Panhwar et al. (2017) who explored the causes of failure ofCLT in Pakistan. Apart from cultural barriers, the authors singled out large classes as the mainreason for the failure, which is beyond the control of teachers. Teachers found it difficult to useCLT in large classes because of limited time for interaction (Chang, 2011).This study revealed that the CLT method is not fully implemented in schools due to largeclassroom enrolments (Teacher A). As such, policy makers should take the necessary measuresto reduce the classroom enrolments and facilitate the CLT method of teaching. In addition,senior teachers should not discard the CLT method and revert to traditional methods. Curriculumdevelopers should provide training to all teachers on the CLT method to improve students’English language speaking skills.5. Conclusion and recommendationsThis study revealed some important findings which have theoretical, pedagogical and practicalimplications. In term of pedagogical implications, all the respondents (teachers) were notconvinced that the CLT method benefited the students and they were reluctant to employ it inthe classroom. The findings also indicated that teachers have limited knowledge and skills onCLT because not all the teachers were trained in this method. As such, it is important for allESL teachers to have the required knowledge, skills supported with adequate trainings on howto employ the CLT method to teach speaking skills.The findings also revealed some issues such as misconception among teachers on the translationmethod, examination-oriented teaching, students’ background and large classrooms. As such,for practical implications, MOE should consider small classrooms for primary schools toenhance students-teacher interactions and improve speaking skills among students. In addition,MOE should ensure that the education system in

Introduction: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is a teaching model which sets as its goal the teaching of communicative competence. It is based on a view of language as . The context of English language teaching in Indonesia is considered more as a foreign language rather than a second language. The Indonesian Government proposed