Beyond communicative tasks: exploring teacher support and students’ speaking motivation in CLT-based EFL classrooms

Muhammad Raihan

doi:10.18860/jetle.v8i1.46043

Beyond communicative tasks: exploring teacher support and students’ speaking motivation in CLT-based EFL classrooms

Muhammad Raihan

Abstract

This study explores how a teacher implements Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and how students perceive its role in motivating them to speak English in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom at OHM Academy. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study draws on classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with 10 students, focus group discussions, document analysis, and a researcher’s reflective journal, as reported in the study. The findings describe the use of communicative activities, including role plays, pair work, group discussions, and real-life speaking tasks. Teacher practices such as providing guidance, allowing planning time, offering constructive feedback, and creating a supportive classroom atmosphere were associated with students’ reported engagement and willingness to participate. However, students also encountered challenges, including limited vocabulary, varying levels of confidence, occasional reliance on Bahasa Indonesia, and time constraints. These findings suggest that communicative tasks and supportive teacher practices may help create conditions that encourage students to speak English. Given the qualitative design and single-institution context, the findings offer context-specific insights rather than evidence of a causal effect. The study highlights the importance of considering both teacher support and learners’ continuing linguistic needs when implementing CLT in EFL speaking classrooms.

Keywords

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT); Language Learning; Speaking Motivation; Speaking skills; Student Engagement; Teacher’s role

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/jetle.v8i1.46043