Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in EFL Context in Asia

Abstract

This paper provides an in-depth investigation into the application of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in Asia, and China in particular. It reveals that CLT has not been fully acknowledged and espoused by Asia’s English language educators at the classroom level. Additionally, it unpacks the various factors that have impeded educators in Asia from enacting CLT. Through introducing the concepts of “teacher as curriculum implementer” and “teacher as curriculum maker,” it brings to surface why a mandated curriculum change as CLT cannot be realized in EFL context in Asia. The paper argues that teachers should be constructors rather than merely receivers of the imposed pedagogical reforms. The top-down educational enterprise of implementing CLT cannot succeed unless it is embraced by teachers with their reconfigurations in light of their specific teaching situations.