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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 8

Publication Date: August 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/assrj.108.15130.

Alharbi, S. (2023). Contextual Considerations for Communicative Language Teaching Adoption: A Case Study of China. Advances in

Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(8). 14-18.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Contextual Considerations for Communicative Language

Teaching Adoption: A CaseStudy of China

Samar Alharbi

School of Modern Languages & Linguistics,

Southampton UniversitySouthampton, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a summary of the main argument raised by Liao (2004)

regardingthe adoption of communicative language teaching (CLT) in the Chinese

context. The author discusses the critical argument made by other researchers

regarding CLT andemphasises the significance of considering the teaching context.

The conclusion section of the research article is also summarized, highlighting the

challenges associated with implementing CLT in China and the proposed solutions.

The paper suggests that CLT, being a Western approach, may not be suitable for

adoption in China due to the lack of contextual consideration. It further examines

the difficulties faced by teachers in conducting a needs analysis and implementing

the proposed context approach. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for

further researchand training to improve CLT practices in Chinese classrooms and

raises broader questions aboutthe applicability ofthese solutions in other teaching

contexts, such as Saudi Arabia. The research paper addresses important issues

related to CLTadoptionas an education policy decision and offers potential insights

for improving language teaching practices.

Keywords: communicative language teaching, CLT adoption, teaching context, China,

contextual analysis, education policy.

INTRODUCTION

In his research article, Liao (2004) raises a main argument relating to communicativelanguage

teaching (CLT) adoption in the Chinese context. He makes reference to a critical argument made

by other researchers about CLT and the importance ofconsidering the teaching context. From

this perspective, it can be argued that CLT is not suitable for adoption in China because it is

essentially a western approach that does not take the context of China into account. For

example, Bax (2003) contended that CLT should be replaced with 'a context approach', and he

affirmed that a teachingmethod could not be imported from one context to another; instead, the

chosen method should be suitable for teachers and learners in a particular teaching context.

This position is known as 'relativism'(Larsen-Freeman, 2000: 182) and it refers to thebeliefthat

a method is not appropriate for all teaching contexts – one method might bemore relevant to a

particular context than another. Despite the importance of considering the teaching context

when implementing CLT, Liao argued that CLT is indeed the best approach to be implemented

in China, based on the Larsen-Freeman(2000:182) notion of 'absolutism'. This supports the

government's position of adoptingCLT in most schools in China due to its advantages with

regard to promoting communicative competence among students. Although CLT is a

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Alharbi, S. (2023). Contextual Considerations for Communicative Language Teaching Adoption: A Case Study of China. Advances in Social Sciences

Research Journal, 10(8). 14-18.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.108.15130

predominantly western teaching approach and its benefits have been proved in many English

teaching classrooms, this does not mean that it is applicable to all teaching contexts.I believe

that other considerations should be taken into account when implementing CLT, such as

culture, teachers' and learners' beliefs and expectations, and the classroom context, including

textbooks and class time. The aim of this paper is to discuss CLT practices in relation to the

teaching and learning context and culture. It also demonstrates some constraints on

implementing CLT in China and it offers somesolutions for the challenges raised. The following

section presents a brief discussionabout the importance of cultural teaching practices when

adopting CLT.

CLT AND CULTURE

The context and classroom environment always influences teaching and learning practices.

Teachers are always influenced by their teaching context, so they utilize anappropriate method

that suits the students and their learning needs. In the Saudi context, for example, teachers

follow the grammar-translation and audiolingual methods. Their teaching context determines

their choice of these methods. Students are expected to produce accurate oral and written

language, free from mistakes. Alamri (2018) claims that context is equally important as

communication in teaching. To achieve the teaching objectives, the teacher should consider the

classroomcontext, including the textbook, students, learning environment and culture.

Culture is a broader belief about what is and is not culturally appropriate in a particularcontext.

For teaching and learning, different cultures have different views about thesepractices. In the

Chinese culture, education is very valued, and it is viewed as a powercapable of turning an

ordinary person into a more superior one and a weak communityinto a strong one (Hu, 2010).

For teaching practices, education has been traditionallyperceived as accumulative knowledge

that students passively receive and use later on, rather than being for immediate purposes (Hu,

2002). Based on Chinese beliefs about education and teaching, teachers need to adopt a method

that fulfils the aims of the learning context and meets students' needs and expectations.

Culture and context play an important role in the success of the learning process andthey are

important factors when considering the choice of a teaching approach. To clarify, Li (2003), for

example, explained the influence of culture on language learningexperiences. In his study, Li

investigated Asia students' learning experiences of studying in two New Zealand English

language schools. The study’s results revealed that Asian students had negative learning

experiences related to teacher quality, teaching approaches, course content and teaching

materials. In addition, the findingsindicated that some teachers' adoption of CLT or interactive

teaching contributed to this negative learning experience. Most students reported that the

teachers were not serious enough as they regularly organized games to play, which they

considered were not important for their language acquisition, and that hence their learning

needswere neglected. It is obvious that Asian students were influenced by their culture andthey

viewed education as a serious learning process and they "tend to associate games and

communicative activities in class with entertainment exclusively and are skeptical of their use

as learning tools" (Rao, 1996: 467).

Although CLT has been proven to be an inappropriate method in China due to its inapplicability

to the Chinese culture and teaching context (Liao, 2004), other westernmethods are adopted

successfully in Chinese classrooms when they fit the traditional view of learning in Chinese