Factors Affecting the Application of Communicative Language Teaching CLT in Syrian Schools

Abstract

The main purpose of CLT is to help EFL learners to communicate with other Englishlanguage speakers. Practicing speaking and communication is limited in Syrian educationalinstitutions. Hence, to improve the communicative skills of learners, the CLT approach of the teachinglearning process is highly recommended. The study aims to identify the challenges that negatively affect the valid application of CLT in Syrian public schools in Aleppo governance. The study employed a fully quantitative research design. A survey questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. A number of 50 English language teachers from 25 schools were randomly selected. The collected data were analysed descriptively using SPSS (25) software. Teachers despite their awareness of the importance of CLT, faced many challenges. The results showed four types of challenges namely; teachers-related challenges: lack of training, lack of authentic materials, lack of English cultural knowledge. Students related challenges: low proficiency, passive learning style, lack of motivation. Education system-related challenges: lack of support, too large classes, unsuitable curriculum. Finally, CLT related challenges: lack of effective and efficient assessment instrument, lack of teaching materials. The study provided a comprehensive approach towards better implementation of CLT in the EFL context. Implications and recommendations were discussed in light of the findings.