TEACHERS’ INTERPRETATIONS AND PRACTICES OF CLT IN PRIMARY ENGLISH CLASSROOMS

Abstract

Communicative language teaching (CLT) has been introduced for several decades and has been widely accepted as one of the most influential modern language teaching approaches. However, misconceptions about CLT continue to exist among language teachers. This paper reports on a multiple case study investigating how primary English teachers in Thanh Hoa province interpreted and practised CLT in their specific classrooms. Data were collected from interviews and observations of teaching. Findings show that each teacher interpreted CLT in a different way, and each held some misconceptions about CLT, which in turn led to their mis-practice. Implications for policy and practice are provided.