Communication Strategies Used by Yemeni EFL Students

The focus of this study is to examine the communication strategies employed by Radfan College EFL students in their classroom interactions. In its theoretical part, the study shows the significance of CSs as a component of EFL learner’s communicative competence and its significance in foreign language learning and communication. The data of this study were collected through classroom observations. Results revealed that though Radfan College EFL students’ oral English proficiency is pretty low, most students tend to stop communication or switch into their mother tongue rather than utilizing effective CSs that may help them in communicating and developing their communication proficiency. The study showed that only a few students (high linguistic ability students) use some effective strategies; such as, paraphrasing of meaning, asking interlocutor’s for help, time fillers and nonverbal signals while the majority (low linguistic ability students) prefer to keep silent and whenever they participate and encounter linguistic difficulties, they usually tend to shift into mother tongue or abandon their messages. The main reasons behind that are: (a) students were not well trained to use such communication strategies, and (b) teachers do not force students to use English in their classroom interactions. The study recommends teaching students of this college CSs in the first year of their college education and creating opportunities for meaningful communication in the classroom to enable students to use and develop their CSs.


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