Challenges and Difficulties in

Implementing Communicative
Language Teaching in the
Moroccan EFL Classroom

SAFAE KHARBOUCH
Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences - Mohammed 1st
University, Oujda.

Email: [email protected]

Supervised by Elhachmi SERRAJ

 Acknowledgement
In adherence to the esteemed principles and ethical standards of research, I humbly

acknowledge and express my deep appreciation to all those who have contributed, no matter

how small, to this research endeavor.

I would like to extend a special debt of gratitude to Professor Elhachmi SERRAJ, my

supervisor, whose invaluable expertise, and guidance were instrumental in the development of

this monograph. Without his extensive knowledge and insights, this work could not have been

realized.

It is with immense honor and respect that we offer our heartfelt thanks to all those mentioned

above, as well as to anyone else who has contributed to this research in any way. Their

collective efforts and aid have greatly enriched this work and are deeply appreciated.
 Abstract
Today, communities are increasingly facing rapid and profound changes and tensions that

affect the social, economic, and political aspects of life. The role of education has also

become questionable in the millennial era. A matter of fact, 21st century education requires a

gradual shift in curriculum construction focusing on the transferable competencies that

learners need to develop in instructional settings. In today’s knowledge-based, types of skills

and competencies that students need to gain are different from in the past. Emphasizing the

communicative competence is one of the most influential developments in language

education. The implementation of communicative activities in EFL/ESL classroom prepares

learners to use English in the world beyond based on their own needs, interests, and

opportunities, and perform in an atmosphere of expression, interpretation, and negotiation of

meaning from psycholinguistic and socio-cultural perspectives. Communicative language

teaching (CLT) refers to both processes and goals in classroom learning. It is one of the most

influential theoretical developments in language education as it helps redefine the objectives

of foreign and/or second language instruction. This paper looks at the phenomenon of

communicative language teaching (CLT) in the Moroccan EFL classroom. It aims to study

how CLT has been interpreted and implemented in various contexts examining teacher’s

attitudes. The data is gathered by using an online-questionnaire and a semi-structured

interview with EFL secondary level teachers. Based on the findings, respondents confirm that

the EFL curriculum is barely emphasizing communication skills, which requires a curriculum

reform and redesign in order to represent the 21st century requirements and values.
 TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
I. Theoretical part
1. Definition of CLT

2. Communicative competence

3. Teacher’s role in CLT context

4. Student’s role in CLT context

5. The implementation of CLT in Morocco

6. Challenges of adopting CLT in EFL contexts

II. Methodology
1. Participants

2. Materials

3. Procedures

III. Practical part

1. Discussion

2. Results

Conclusion
Research Questions
References
INTRODUCTION
The status of teaching and learning English as a global language is increasingly
gaining ground worldwide. Improving the English proficiency as a second and/or foreign
language has become a priority in the field of education. Therefore, a wide range of initiatives
have been taken. Various approaches and methods have been introduced and implemented
aiming at enhancing the learning process of English among non-native speakers. Thus, in
order to meet the challenges of the millennial era, a new approach has been put forth and
received a worldwide recognition as the most dominant and innovative way to teach English
as a second/foreign language. It is the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach.
Content, syllabus, methodologies, outcomes, and assessment all serve to achieve the goal of
communicative competence in the EFL/ESL classroom. Scholars, educators, and teachers
acknowledge the adoption of the communicative language teaching in EFL/ESL curriculum in
order to develop learners’ English language competence. Littlewood (1981) argued that CLT
has been introduced in the EFL/ESL instructional settings as a reaction to the traditional
language teaching methods, aiming at improving students’ learning proficiency and their
ability to use English in real-life situations. However, despite the role that CLT approach
plays in enhancing learners’ oral proficiency, practitioners argue that both the curriculum and
classroom practices do not reflect its theories and principles.

a. Overview on the Implementation of English Language Teaching in

Morocco

English was first taught in Morocco during the era of the French protectorate.
Teaching and learning English at that time was considered as “a purely functional
instrumental tool” for economic purposes such as in tourism and international banking, and in
higher education (Hyde, 1994). Colonization was afterwards replaced by the economic,
technological, and linguistic domination. English language has internationally become the
new imposed linguistic power (Holly, 1990). Thus, since its independence in 1956, Morocco
has been working on developing new educational reforms aiming at improving the quality of
education. The implementation of the English curriculum was one of the first projects the
country launched as part of the National Charter for Education and Training in 1999 (Bedmar,
2014). The latter suggested a set of pedagogical guidelines to EFL teaching (M.E.N, 2009).
These guidelines have focused on incorporating learner-centeredness as one of the main
features of the EFL classroom, by adopting new approaches namely, the competency-based
approach, communicative approach, and standard-based approach (M.E.N, 2009). However,
despite all the efforts made to develop the EFL implementation in the Moroccan educational
context, it is still lagging behind and unable to meet the millennial challenges (MATE, 2016).

Therefore, the Moroccan Supreme Council for Education and training has established
a roadmap to reform teaching foreign languages in particular. Since it is recognized as the
world’s most recognized language for communication and the language of science and
technology, Morocco has set a number of measures and policies to improve the teaching and
learning of English language aiming to empower its educational, political, and economic
domains (MATE, 2017). A matter of fact, to keep up with the 21st century global and ever-
increasing connections, Moroccan students are in need to acquire some fundamental linguistic
skills and be aware of the different cultural and behavioral perspectives of the other.
According to the pedagogical guidelines for English language teaching in Morocco set by the
Ministry of National Education, teaching EFL is based on an instructional program that
encourages the student to communicate internationally and go beyond this knowledge to
develop real-life uses for foreign languages. For this purpose, the reform has underlined the
importance of a far-reaching shift at the level of the fundamental strategies and techniques of
EFL teaching and learning. The EFL instructional setting should essentially engage both
teacher and students. The former is no more considered a source of knowledge, but a guide a
facilitator. On the other hand, the student is asked to develop his/her learning autonomy and
possess some basic skills mainly critical thinking and problem-solving.

b. Purpose of the Study

This study is an attempt to look at the phenomenon of Communicative Language

Teaching (CLT) in the Moroccan EFL classroom. It aims to investigate to what extent the
implementation of CLT in EFL classroom is facing challenges and difficulties shedding light
on teachers’ believes and attitudes. For this purpose, this research uses a semi-structured
interview with 10 EFL secondary level teachers. Also, uses an online questionnaire for the
others.

c. Significance of the Study

 The current study attempts to investigate the implementation of the communicative
language teaching in the Moroccan EFL classroom based on EFL teachers’ perceptions. This
study is significant theoretically and practically. As far as the theoretical importance is
concerned, it tries to explore the teach ability of the communication model from the point of
view of the teachers whereas most other studies have been concerned with learner variables.
In terms of the practical and pedagogical significance, the findings of this study may be
helpful to educational institutions and stakeholders involved in EFL teaching and learning in
order to develop the quality of the latter.

The literature given in this research highlights the main and recent trends in
communicative language teaching research and related theories. After summarizing the
existing literature, the paper presents the findings of the interview examining EFL teachers’
perceptions regarding CLT implementation in the Moroccan EFL curriculum. The qualitative
findings suggest that EFL teachers believe in the use of CLT approach to enhance oral
competency among students as well as learner-autonomy. However, respondents state that the
EFL curriculum is barely emphasizing communication skills, which requires a curriculum
reform and redesign in order to represent the 21st century requirements and values.

d. Literature Review

As EFL teaching and learning focuses on a great potential communicative

competence, an approach has emerged and been recognized worldwide as the dominant model
for language education; it is the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach (Richards,
2013). The latter provides a framework that integrates language theory and teaching practice
(Savignon, 1991). The communicative language teaching approach applies particularly to the
present study, aiming to investigate the EFL secondary level curriculum focusing on the
communicative teaching and learning techniques.
I- Theoretical Part

1.1. Definition of Communicative Language Teaching

There are many good chapters and books which have been written in order to define
the CLT and to capture its characteristics. Other authors in the field have written various
articles and reports on CLT and its main elements (Canal, 1981). Even though we can find
several definitions and versions of what CLT is and how it functions, there are few general
concepts that are agreed upon (Rodgers, 1986).

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second

and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of
learning a language. It is also referred to as „communicative approach to the teaching of
foreign languages‟ or simply „communicative approach‟. (Wikipedia, 2016)

CLT context was defined by David as one where learners learn how to communicate
throughout the interaction in the second language using authentic texts; the main focus is on
the learning itself not only on the language. The learner attempts to use language in real life
situations, so learners are assessed on their communicative competence rather than their
knowledge of grammar rules. This is achieved by pair and group work which is thought to
create opportunities for best practice of the functions and forms of the language with the aim
of helping learners take greater responsibility for their learning and develop learner autonomy
(David Nunan,2012). In the same vein, Wilkins (1972), Proposed that communicative means
that a learner of a language at the first place should know how to express his ideas and
thoughts in an effectively. Rather than describing them through traditional concepts relying on
grammar and vocabulary.

According to Hymes (1972) The Communicative Language Teaching started from a

theory of language as communication that language teaching aimed at the first place to
develop the communicative competence. He defined the theory of communicative competence
as we will expand in the following part, as the language knowledge that a speaker needs to
have in order to be communicatively competent in a speech community.

Brown (2007) says the communicative language teaching is an approach that mainly
focuses on teaching a language through interaction with the real situation as a way to obtain a
meaningful language learning. Communicative language teaching regards learners as being
partners in any project and the classroom activities seek to draw on whatever help the
learners, to become the active participants in the learning process, where their participations
and talks are fully responsible of their own learning.

Lightbown and Spada (1999: 172) define CLT in the following terms:

“CLT is based on the premise that successful language learning

involves not only a knowledge of the structures and forms of the language, but
also the functions and purposes that a language serves in different
communicative settings. this practice and manipulation of grammatical forms.
CLT emphasizes on practice as a way of developing communicative skills. In a
communicative approach, language teaching makes use of real-life situations
that students may encounter in real life, that require communication which
helps the participants to be easily involved. The CLT approach provides
students with many opportunities to be easily involved in communicative
context in using the language. Therefore, the activities are promoting self-
learning and interaction in a real situation where the lessons focus on some
operation which the student would want to perform in the target language.
(Littlewood, 1981). The role of teachers in the communicative approach is
reduced to being a facilitator or monitor of their student’s development or
progress in language learning.”

Besides, according to the definitions of the authors on Communicative language

teaching. Hymes noted that the person who acquires communicative competence acquires
both knowledge and ability for language use. In this sense Wilkins and David Nunan support
the idea that Communicative Language Teaching refers to the knowledge we have of a
language that gives an explanation of our ability to produce sentences in a language. Lastly
Brown and Richard support the idea that students relate to each other, and the teacher must
ensure the quality of education to improve the ability to communicate effectively through
various interactive activities similar to the level that English students are acquiring.

1.2. Communicative Competence

The concept of communicative competence was firstly introduced by Noam Chomsky.

He argues that competence is consisted of the underlying knowledge of the grammatical
system that enables a user of a language to produce and understand an infinite set of sentences
in that language out of a finite set of rules. So many years later Hymes argued that Chomsky
had missed out the rules of use, in the fact that when a native speaker speaks, he does not only
have a grammatically correct forms, but he also knows where and when to use these
sentences, and to whom. Hymes (1972), defined it as “a term in linguistics which refers to a
language user's grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as
well as social knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately.” He sees that
competence should be viewed as “the overall underlying knowledge and ability for language
which the speaker-listener possesses.” That is, the concept of communicative competence
entails knowledge of the language and the ability to use the knowledge in context (Hymes
1972, p. 63). Hymes (1972) afterward proposed four sectors of communicative competence.
First, “whether or not something is formally possible” refers to the notion of grammatical
competence. It is concerned with whether an utterance is grammatically correct. Second,
“whether something is feasible” deals with its acceptability, in addition to being
grammatically possible. Third, “whether something is appropriate” means that a sentence
should be appropriate to the context in which it is used. Finally, “whether something is in fact
done” implies that a sentence may be grammatically correct feasible, and appropriate in
context, but have no probability of actually occurring (Hymes, 1972, p. 63). It can be argued
that communicative competence consists of knowledge of linguistic rules, appropriate
language usage in different situations, connection of utterances in a discourse, and language
strategies.

Some years later, in 1980 Canal & Swain defined a new theory regarding
communicative competence. They see communicative competence as consisting of
grammatical competence plus sociolinguistic competence. According to Canal in 1983
communicative competence refers to be underlying a system of knowledge and skill required
for communication, he suggested four different components of communicative competence
that can be summarized as follows: grammatical competence, discourse competence,
sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence.

Years later Sandra J. Savignon said another thing about this concept. She defines
communicative competence as “functional language proficiency; the expression,
interpretation, and negotiation of meaning involving interaction between two or more”
Communicative is a dynamic rather than a static constant depends on the negotiation between
two or more people who belong to the same or to a different speech community and they may
have the same symbolic system, in this sense Savignon describes communicative competence
as having the following elements:

1. Communicative competence is a dynamic rather than a static concept. It depends on

the negotiation of meaning between two or more people who share to some degree the same
symbolic system…

2. Communicative competence applies to both written and spoken language, as well as

to many other symbolic systems.

3. Communicative competence is context specific. Communication takes place in an

infinite variety of situations, and success in a particular role depends on one’s understanding
of the context and on prior experience of a similar kind…

4. There is a theoretical difference between competence and performance.

Competence is defined as a presumed underlying ability and performance as the overt
manifestation of that ability. Competence is what one knows. Performance is what one does.

5. Communicative competence is relative, not absolute, and depends on the

cooperation of all the participants. (pp. 14-15)

1.3. Teachers’ Role

The teacher plays an important role in CLT classroom. She/he has to know when it is
time to play which role. Breen and Candlin (1980, p. 99), describe teacher roles in the
following terms:

The teacher has two main roles: the first role is to facilitate the communication process
between all participants in the classroom, and between these participants and the various
activities and texts. The second role is to act as an independent participant within the learning-
teaching group. The latter role is closely related to the objectives of the first role and arises
from it. These roles imply a set of secondary roles for the teacher; first, as an organizer of
resource and as a resource himself, second as a guide within the classroom procedures and
activities…. A third role of the teacher is that of a researcher and learner, with much to
contribute in terms of appropriate knowledge and abilities, actual and observed experience of
the nature of learning and organizational capacities.
 So, Breen and Candlin (1980, p.99) beautifully sum up teacher’s roles as follows:

1. Facilitator- who facilitate the communication process in the classroom.

2. Independent participant- He/she has to participate within the learning- teaching group.

3. Resource- He/she organizes the resources of the activities or can acting the role of resource
being helpful and by giving information to students.

4. Researcher- He/she is a learner or researcher with much to contribute in terms of

appropriate knowledge and activities, actual and observed experience of the

5. Nature of learning and organizational capacities.

Other roles of the teacher are-

1. Monitor- During the activities teacher needs to monitor students‟ performance and to give
feedback if necessary.

2. Counselor- As a counselor teacher “is expected to exemplify an effective

3. Communicator seeking maximize the meshing of speaker intention, hearer interpretation

through the use of paraphrase, confirmation, and feedback.” (Richards & Rogers, 1986; 2001)

1.4. Students’ Role

Breen and Candlin (1980, p, 110) describe the learner’s role within CLT in the
following terms: (cited in Richards and Rodgers, 2001, p. 166)

“The role of a learner as a negotiator – between the self, the learning process, and
the project of learning – emerges from and interacts with the role of joint negotiator
within the group and within the classroom procedures and activities which the group
undertakes. The implication for the learner is that he should contribute as much as he
gains, and thereby learn in an interdependent way.”

So, Breen and Candlin (1980, p.99) beautifully sum up student’s roles as follows:

1. The emphasis in CLT leads the students to different roles in classroom as mentioned by
(Breen and Candlin, 1980, p.110) in following terms-
2. Negotiators for meaning: The learner as negotiator between the self, the learning process
and the objective of learning emerges from and interacts with the role of joint negotiator
within the group and within the classroom procedures and activities which the group
undertaken.

3. Need to communicate with each other and share their Opinions in the class.

4. Discoverers: They have to discover how to improve their learning. (Nunan, 1991)

5. Contributors of knowledge and information: the implication for is that learner should
contribute as much as he gains and thereby learn in an independent way.

1.5. Implementing CLT for Teaching English in Morocco

In Morocco, English is seen as an extremely important subject. A good knowledge of

English is regarded as a means of guaranteeing better job opportunities. However, in
Moroccan public schools, teaching the English language for long time, based on the
traditional approaches that focus on grammar, vocabulary, and translation without paying
much attention to communication. On the other hand, the current trends in economic
development impose a challenge for everyone to communicate competently in English. To
open possibilities for a more globally competitive economy, it is a must for a developing
country such as Morocco to implement the most appropriate approach to English language
teaching.

After Morocco obtained independence in the year of 1956, the school has been the
subject of many discussions in the most varied areas of the country aiming at the developing
of its educational system. Morocco made some efforts to advance its economy throughout the
implementation of an English syllabus embodied in the adoption of many approaches namely,
the competency-based approach, communicative approach, and standard-based approach
(M.E.N, 2009). The implementation of the Communicative language teaching (CLT) was the
best alternative and the Moroccan government, launched as part of the National Charter for
Education and Training in 1999 (Bedmar, 2014). The latter suggested a set of pedagogical
guidelines to EFL teaching (M.E.N, 2009). These guidelines have focused on incorporating
learner-centeredness as one of the main features of the EFL classroom, by adopting new
approaches in which Morocco has set a number of measures and policies to improve the
teaching and learning of English language aiming to empower its educational, political, and
economic domains (MATE, 2017). The Ministry of National Education set pedagogical
guidelines for English language teaching in which EFL is based on an instructional program
that encourages the student to communicate internationally and go beyond this knowledge to
develop real-life uses for foreign languages. Therefore, the Moroccan Supreme Council for
Education and training has established a roadmap for reform teaching foreign languages in
particular. Since it is recognized as the world’s most recognized language for communication
and the language of science and technology. To keep up with the 21st century global and
ever-increasing connections, Moroccan students are in need to acquire some fundamental
linguistic skills and be aware of the different cultural and behavioral perspectives of the other
cultures.

For this purpose, the reform has underlined the importance of a far-reaching shift at
the level of the fundamental strategies and techniques of EFL teaching and learning. The EFL
instructional setting should essentially involve both teacher and students. The former is no
more considered a source of knowledge, but a guide a facilitator. On the other hand, the
student is asked to develop his/her learning autonomy and possess some basic skills mainly
critical thinking and problem-solving.

1.6. Challenges of Adopting CLT in EFL Contexts

Even though National policies and school curricular in a variety of contexts where
English is taught as Foreign Language (EFL) have shifted towards CLT in variety of EFL
contexts. This does not mean that the implementations of CLT in these contexts were an easy
task. Researchers and scholars have pointed out that there is still a gap between policies and
teaching practices (Nunan, 2003; Littlewood, 2007) the implementation of CLT has
encountered problems and resistance in several EFL classrooms (Chang, 2010, Vongxay,
2013; Weimann, 1996; Li 1998; Liao, 2000). Most of the factors hindering teachers from
implementing CLT relate directly to the students and the educational system.

a. Student-Related Difficulties and Challenges

 The Lack of Motivation

These researchers also found that students in EFL classrooms have a lack of
motivation to participate in communicative activities which do not help them to pass the final
examination (Liao, 2000). Because of this examination format, teachers are under pressure to
help their student pass the examination as well as students tend to be more focused on
grammar teaching and learning because students want to pass the exams and get good grades.
Therefore, grammar-based examination format is identified as the biggest obstacle to
students‟ interest in communicative activities.

 Student Have Low-Level English Proficiency

The student’s low proficiency in English language negatively affects the

implementation of CLT. Many researchers have conducted extensive studies on Asian
students learning and have revealed that most Asian students have limited English Language
vocabulary necessary for communicative activities (Chang, 2010 & Li, 1998). According to
the findings, when these pupils speak English, they are afraid that some people would make
fun of them. They feel embarrassed, shy, and gradually, they lose motivation in trying to
speak English. During group work, they tend to depend on their higher proficient peers.
Odendaal (cited in Weimann, 1996) undertook a literature survey intended to establish the
level of English in the so called Black Primary and Secondary Schools in South Africa. He
stated that every source consulted either explicitly or by implication was of the opinion that
the English used by Black Africans was below standard, although no attempt was made to
define such standards. It was also observed that it was reasonably certain that at least 80% of
the pupils came from homes where Standard English is either non-existence or a second
language or a second dialect. same findings on Ciskiean learners in the same state of South
Africa. The low levels of English language seriously affected the learning of CLT.

 Factors Attributed to the Educational System

A study on English teachers‟ perception in adopting CLT approach in Korea

recommended that South Korea needed to change the fundamental approach to education
because the predominance of text centered and grammar-centered practices in Korea did not
provide the basis for the student-centered, fluency-focused, and problem solving activities
required by CLT (Li, 1998). A study on Ciskeian Secondary Schools also reported structural
tests and examinations to be a hindrance in implementing CLT. Taiwan examinations were
also reported to orient teaching in the colleges studied. The respondents (teachers) observed
that if the examinations included communicative question in addition to grammar, it would
naturally lead the teachers to teach in a communicative way. The teachers would focus on
CLT if listening and speaking test items were included in their examinations. (Weimann,
1996; Chang, 2010).

The larger classes are also a hindrance which was reported by the studies. All the
studies under review reported that the big sizes of the classes caused difficulties in organizing
groups and oral communicative activities as well as monitoring class activities (Chang, 2010;
Weimann, 1996). Teaching large classes was reported to cause disciplinary problems
especially when administering communicative activities (Qiang and Ning, 2011).

The research reports also indicated that insufficient teaching resources such as
authentic materials and language learning equipment in the classrooms posed a challenge. In
adopting CLT into the classroom, it requires variable facilities to create teaching aids in order
to motivate students to concentrate on communicative activities. Nevertheless, most
educational institutions do not have enough financial resources that are required to provide the
Aural-visual equipment, photocopiers and other facilities and resources that are required to
support the dynamic teaching associated with CLT (Rao, 2002). In addition, Incecay (2009)
reported lack of funding as a major problem in implementing CLT. The school under his
study was reported to have serious financial problems that it was practically impossible for
teachers to implement CLT activities that called for the procurement of equipment and other
teaching and learning aids. Lack of adequate instrument to evaluate students‟ communicative
competence is also another challenge (Weimann, 1996; Chang, 2010). The respondents said
that it was difficult to develop tools to evaluate the students‟ oral performance. Standardized
and objective tests and examinations are therefore preferred, (Vongxay, 2013).

 CLT Training

Among the various difficulties, the teachers teaching inability is the one most related
to classroom’s teaching effectively. The most important thing is that educational
administrators should do the teachers training (Liao, 2000). Many teachers in EFL settings
should have in-service training particularly in CLT which might improve the teachers’
methodologies of teaching (Liao, 2000; Karim, 2004). However, there is a lack of CLT
training for EFL teachers which might be one of the barriers in adopting CLT in the EFL
teaching and learning classroom. As some research projects found that lack of training in CLT
was identified as a major difficulty in adopting CLT (Liao, 2000; Karim, 2004). In relation to
this, Gamal, and Debra (2001) supported that most teachers in their studies identified lack of
CLT training as a barrier to successful implementation of CLT which is posing a problem in
practicing communicative language teaching in EFL settings. In Bangladesh, teachers lack
professional development in order to improve their English proficiency and teaching skills.
This causes teachers in the department to lack confidence to motivate their students to
participate in CLT based activities.

 Time Requirements

Traditional teaching methods do not need more time to prepare teaching materials and
create the classroom activities and search for extra information to support the teaching and
learning process. Roberto (2004) argues that a traditional teaching method or teacher centered
approach is one where an activity in the class is centered on the teacher and teachers serve as
the center of knowledge, directing the information. In other words, in the teacher centered
approach, teachers are regarded as knowledge-givers while learners act as receivers (Brown,
1994). On the other hand, a communicative teaching approach or learner-centered approach
gives students a greater sense of “ownership” of their learning and enhances their motivation
to learn English and it also emphasizes an interaction of students and teachers and reflects a
more social relationship between the teacher and learner in order to improve students’
communicative competence (Brown, 1994; Ying, 2010). Therefore, it might challenge most of
the EFL teachers to switch from their traditional teaching approach to a modern method.

b. Difficulties Related to Educational System

 The Lack of Administration Supports

In adopting CLT into the EFL classroom teaching and learning, it needs supports from
the administration level in order to provide facilities to support teaching and learning
progress.

On the other hand, most of the EFL teachers stated that they lack administrative
supports with the adoption of CLT in the classroom which most teachers also identified as one
of the difficulties in practicing and adopting CLT (Burnaby & Sun, 1989; Li, 1998). Many
teachers in this study tried to change the dominant teaching approach to a communicative
teaching method, but quickly get frustrated, lose their initial enthusiasm, and acquiesce the
tradition because the lack of administration’s support (Liao, 2000).

 Class Size
 The large size of the classrooms and huge number of students in one classroom can be
one of the biggest challenges that hinder the implementation of CLT in an EFL setting. The
ideal size of a language class maximum is 30 because only under such a scale, can a teacher
offer enough chances for the students to communicate with each other. Hayes (1997)
classifies the problems associated with teaching in large classes into five categories as
follows: discomfort caused by the physical constraints, control problems (discipline aspects),
lack of individual attentions, difficulty on evaluation, and problems of charging learning
effectiveness. Harmer (2000) also finds out in his study that large classes create difficulties
for both teachers and students. It is difficult for teachers to have contact with the students
sitting at the back and for students to get individual attention.

 Time Requirements

CLT needs more time to prepare teaching materials and create the classroom activities
and search for extra information to support the teaching and learning process unlike
traditional methods of teaching. Communicative teaching approach or learner-centered
approach gives students a greater sense of “ownership” of their learning and enhances their
motivation to learn English and it also emphasizes an interaction of students and teachers and
reflects a more social relationship between the teacher and learner in order to improve
student’s communicative competence (Brown, 2001; Ying, 2010). Therefore, it might
challenge most of the EFL teachers to switch from their traditional teaching approach to a
modern method.

 Grammar-Based Examination Instruction

Traditional grammar-based examination can be considered as a major difficulty for the

implementation of CLT in the EFL settings. This type of examination and a lack of effective
and efficient assessment instruments of communicative competence, Incecay (2009) argue
that even though the students are aware of the importance of communicative activities,
because having a grammar-based exam to pass the class, most of the students in this study
lose their interest in these activities. Similarly to this, some researchers noted that EFL
students preferred learning sentence structure rather than communicative activities because
the contents of the examination of all the language subject tests are grammar-based for
instance one student in Rao’s research (2002, p. 95) said:
 I know it is very important to be able to communicate in English. But if I
want to graduate from university, I have to pass all kinds of examinations,
which are all grammar-based. That is why I like to work more on English
grammar, and some students in his study claimed that they did not learn
anything if they did not learn new words and grammar in class.
II- Methodology
In my study, I have employed a quantitative research methodology, which I assert is
more efficacious than qualitative approaches for obtaining accurate answers to my research
questions. The rationale for this preference lies in the structured and objective nature of
quantitative methods, which facilitate the measurement and analysis of variables in a
systematic manner. The collected data will be subjected to statistical analysis to evaluate the
aggregate responses of the participants. Specifically, the analysis will focus on the total
number of responses, the frequency of each response, and the percentage distribution for each
statement. This approach ensures a comprehensive and precise examination of the data,
enabling robust conclusions to be drawn from the research findings.

2.1. Participants

The participants for this study are thirty-one (31) Moroccan teachers who are currently
teaching English in different schools in Morocco. Among These participants some were asked
direct questions and to complete an online questionnaire. The participants were essentially
recruited from two sources. The first source is Moroccan EFL teachers who are currently
teaching English in Ezzerktouni High school in Jerada. The other source will be a group of
Moroccan teachers who were affiliated with the English Language Teachers' Association in
Morocco, also known as MATE (Moroccan Association of Teachers of English). Among these
thirty-one (31) participants, thirteen (13) of them are female teachers and eighteen (18) are
males.

Frequency Percent (%)

Female 13 42 (%)

Male 18 58 (%)

Total 31 100 (%)

Table 1. Gender Ratio of Survey Participants.

 With respect to the age range, five of the participants (16%) are aged between 20 to 30
years old, whereas sixteen of them (51.5%) are aged between 30 and 40. And Ten (32.5%)
have more than 40 years of Age.

Figure2. Teaching Experience of Survey Participants

2.2. Materials

The written survey questionnaire used in this study is designed for Moroccan EFL
teachers who are teaching English in public and/or private schools in Morocco.
Questionnaires will be given to the thirty-one participants to explore the difficulties and
challenges that EFL teachers in Morocco have and might encounter in their attempts to
implement CLT. The questionnaire involves both open-ended and closed-ended questions.

The survey composes of Three main parts. The first part of the questionnaire consists
of questions that deal with participants‟ personal information. The questions in this section
ask about participants‟ age, gender, academic degree, and years of experience in teaching
English.”

The second part involves questions that have to do with the language teaching
methodology. The questions in this section ask about the average number of students in their
classes, and whether they use the communicative approach in their classes or not and for how
many years since they have used it. They will also be asked to define communicative
approach in their own words.
 The third and the final part of the questionnaire will be designed with some close -
ended questions to know about the opinion of the participants regarding the implementation of
CLT in our country. The closed-ended questions will be divided into 2 main parts to know
about the difficulties and challenges. The 2 parts are student -related difficulties including
low-level English proficiency, passive style of learning, lack motivation for developing
student’s communicative competence, resistance of Students in participating in
communicative classes activities .The second part has to do with difficulties related to the
educational system including the lack of enough support from the administration, The
Grammar-based examination, the size of Classes and the lack of time to prepare CLT
activities. Lastly, they will be asked about the difficulties they come across or the ones they
think there might be for them in implementing CLT in their classes. The details of these 2
parts of the questions are given in the appendix.

2.3. Procedures

As mentioned above, data has been collected from both public and private school
teachers using a semi-structured interview and an online questionnaire. After getting
permission from the institution, I did the semi-structured interview with the teachers who
were given instruction about the interview. Each one was given as much time as they needed.
The remaining participants were asked to fill out the survey questionnaire electronically. The
online survey was made accessible to the participants for a period of five days. All the
teachers were very helpful and cooperative while the survey is being conducted. They were
very careful and sincere with their responses.
III. Practical Part

3.1. Discussion

The findings are discussed based on the semi-structured interview and the online
questionnaire.

Basically, the totality of respondents believed in the important role that CLT approach
plays to enhance oral competency and also language proficiency among EFL students.
Teachers explained that adopting the communicative approach in the EFL classroom helps in
creating an atmosphere where students are actively participating and using the target
language. EFL teachers agreed that using the communicative approach while teaching leads
their learners to become more responsive and engaged in lessons.

According to respondents, the CLT increases students’ interaction and participation in

the classroom as well as it enhances their engagement and socialization. For instance, a
female teacher stated that “while using the communicative approach in teaching, students
show more self-confidence and self-esteem as they feel more in charge of their own learning”.
That is, the CLT approach tends to increase learner autonomy. In this regard, Littlewood
(1981) pointed out that the use of the communicative model in language teaching improves
students’ classroom performance and motivation, as well as it provides opportunities for
positive personal relationships to develop among students and between students and teacher.
Moreover, according to teachers’ responses, CLT encourages cooperative language learning.
They stated that CLT activities such as pair and group work and role play allow low
proficiency students to actively participate in classroom. In the same line of thought, Johnson,
Johnson, and Smith (1991) argued that cooperative learning is placed at the heart of the
communicative approach as it encourages and promotes the maximum use of group learning
activities which develops students’ learning autonomy, interaction, exchange of information,
cooperation, and competition.

Moreover, half of the respondents underscored the prominent role of increasing

English language oral proficiency in the millennial era. They said that focusing on the
communicative skills inside the classroom will help learners acquire the language they will
need in order to deal with real-life situations. Other teachers commented that being proficient
English language speakers and communicators is mandatory in the 21 st century academic and
professional careers. A respondent explained that nowadays students are increasingly in need
of using English in communication in order to succeed as professionals. In addition to
promoting learners’ language acquisition, respondents referred to the effectiveness of the
communicative model in enhancing their role as EFL teachers. They maintained that
emphasizing communicative paradigms helps the teacher perform as a facilitator and mentor
instead of dominating the classroom. For instance, a teacher said that “adopting
communicative strategies helps me perform in better conditions inside the classroom as it
becomes an enjoyable, interactive, and interesting place both for me and my students”.

On the other hand, in order to evaluate the extent to which the communicative
approach is manifested in the Moroccan EFL curriculum, teachers were asked if
communication skills are emphasized in the curriculum. Teachers affirmed that the current
EFL curriculum barely promotes communication skills. They further explained that teaching
EFL at the secondary level is still approached using traditional paradigms. The majority of
respondents pointed out that the curriculum is outdated and does not aim to provide contents
that target skills’ developments.

Similarly, while investigating the incorporation of CLT in the Chinese EFL context,
Daisy (2012) found that the existing syllabi abides by traditional teaching and learning
paradigms and do not reflect the objectives of CLT. Subsequently, all teachers asserted that
the EFL curriculum is not promoting the 21st century, communicative proficiency in
particular. They argued that the teaching methods, teaching theories, and teaching materials
do not contribute to the development of the communicative and oral competence of EFL
learners. Teachers, as implementers of the curriculum, are more concerned with how much
content they should deliver than how effectively this content can be used to develop learners’
skills. Teachers confirmed that the curriculum is based on an examination-oriented policy.
That is, EFL teaching and learning focused on providing students with as much information as
possible just to pass examinations. Teachers, therefore, commented that the EFL curriculum
focuses on the skills of reading and writing more that the mastery of language skills and the
development of students’ communicative competence.

As stated in the review of the literature, ICT use is one of the main factors of the CLT
model; therefore, respondents were asked about their classroom ICT use, and to what extent
this use can support their learners’ English language oral proficiency. The majority of the
interviewees said that they do not use ICTs in their classroom because the schools where they
teach are not equipped with technological tools.

Similarly, while exploring ICT use in teaching EFL in higher education, Laabidi
(2017) found that ICT use by professors strongly and significantly correlate with institutional
support. That is to say, EFL teachers and professors’ lack of ICT implementation in the
classroom decreases because of the absence of organizational support both in terms of
materials and professional training.

A matter of fact, Morocco as a developing country, does not have adequate

technological facilities and support, which negatively affect the implementation of such
innovative approaches in the school sector. The majority of the institutions, as claimed by the
interviewees, are not equipped with modern teaching aids, and still use age-old blackboards
and chalk in classrooms as they do not even have whiteboard and marker facilities. Some few
teachers stated that they sometimes use their own computers and data show if available. These
teachers affirmed that, in fact, the use of technology can influence their students’ oral
production as it stimulates both their visual and auditory senses and provides them with
effective and practical learning opportunities. For instance, a teacher said “I often use my
computer with the data show projector for some icebreaking pair and group activities. My
students always show interest and feel more motivated to interact with each other.”

Subsequently, respondent-teachers were asked about the main challenges that may
impede the incorporation of the communicative language teaching in the Moroccan EFL
classroom. Teachers stated that the main issue to developing students’ communicative
competence is students themselves. They asserted that the majority of students learn with a
low intrinsic motivation because they think that the English language is not necessary to their
needs since it is not part of their daily life. According to teachers, students refuse to
communicate and take part in classroom interactions. Another group of teachers commented
that CLT is not manifested in the EFL classroom because of some teachers’ lack of awareness
and understanding of this new and innovative approach. A respondent explained that there are
some teachers who strongly believe in the traditional teaching approaches and methods which
emphasize accuracy more than fluency. These teachers, as stated by the interviewees, suffer
from deficiencies in oral English teaching strategies which negatively influences on their
students’ communicative competence.
 Accordingly, Savignon (2002a) said that some teachers feel frustrated and not at ease
to use the communicative approach in their teaching because, in their opinion, it lacks
precision and does not provide them with universal scale for assessing their learners’
achievement. Thus, as interviewees commented, the lack of effective teacher training courses
is one of the main causes that hinder the successful implementation of the CLT approach in
the EFL classroom. Similarly, Mowlaie and Rahimi (2010) attempted to study teachers’
attitudes towards using the CLT in their classroom.

Findings have shown that the surveyed teachers strongly believe in the potent role of
the communicative approach; however, their classroom practice is not in harmony with their
perception. The researchers have found that the main reason lies in the lack of training
opportunities on CLT for teachers. Besides, teachers referred to class size as another
challenging obstacle. They argued that using the communicative approach in an overcrowded
classroom of more than 40 students makes the task very chaotic. A matter of fact, Larsen-
Freeman (2000) confirmed that the implementation of CLT is always convenient for small
groups in order to allow learners to interact, negotiate meaning, and better concentrate on
meaningful communication, and thereby achieve authenticity and better quality in learning.

3.2. Results
3.2.1. Academic Degrees of Survey Participants

Regarding the academic degrees earned by the participants, seventeen of them hold a
Bachelor (BA) degree majoring in English language. Eleven teachers are holders of Master
(MA) degrees. The rest three are holders of (PHD).
 3.2.2. Dealing With a Huge Number of Students

Teachers mentioned that most of them have to deal with 30 to 39 students. For
example, fifteen teachers reported that the average number of students in their English
classrooms ranged from 30 and 39 students on average, seven teachers said that they have
forty or more students in each class. While five teachers said that they have students from 21
to 29 on average. And only Four teachers said that they have less than twenty students in each
class which could be happened mostly in private schools because they have a smaller number
of students in their classes.

3.2.3. The Implementation of the Communicative Approach In Their Class

Teachers were asked about whether they adopt this approach or not in their classes and
for how many reasons. Next, they were asked to define this approach in their own words.
Among the participants, twenty-two teachers (71%) ticked on ‘’Yes’’ while the remaining nine
teachers (29%) ticked on ‘’No’’.
 The questions in the survey questionnaire, welcomes teachers definition of CLT
approach. The answers gathered from the participants in that section are:

 Most of the teachers agreed that CLT is a learner-centered approach in which learners practice
the targeted language through communicative activities by different interaction partners.
 Majority of them also agreed that CLT is the use of language items for the purpose of
communication where the focus is on fluency more than accuracy.
3.2.4. Student-Related Difficulties and Challenges

Teachers and learners need to be cooperative with each other for applying any new
dimension in their classes. If the students are not ready, teacher alone cannot move forward.
So, students play a vital role for teachers and also for the implementation of CLT. Students
have to use language productively and receptively as these are needed in authentic
communication.

 Low Proficiency in English:

The survey result shows that student’s low English proficiency is a vital problem for
implementing CLT in English classrooms. Nineteen of the survey participants admitted that
their learner’s low English proficiency was a major challenge. Some eight participants, in
addition, named this as a challenge. There were merely four participants who believed that
this item did not constitute any challenge at all.
  Student’s Resistance Participating in Communicative Classes Activities

Student’s resistance to participating in communicative class activities was marked as

another significant challenge to utilizing CLT in English classes in Morocco for twelve
teachers. The other nine teachers said that Student’s resistance to participating in
communicative class activities is a mild challenge while seven of them considered it as a
major one. The remaining three teachers expressed that their students did not resist
participating in communicative activities in general.

 Students Have a Passive Style of Learning

It was remarkable to see that the majority of the survey respondents (38%) found
students‟ passive style of learning as a serious obstacle that prevented them from
implementing CLT in their English classes. Ten respondents expressed that this stood as a
major challenge. Also, twelve respondents regarded this as a challenge while seven chose
mild challenge as a response. Only two respondents considered students‟ passive style of
learning as not a challenge at all.
 3.2.5. Difficulties and Challenges Related to Educational System:
 Lack Of Enough Support from the Administrations

According to the questionnaire data, lack of support was one of the biggest challenges
that the Moroccan EFL teachers had to deal with in their attempts to incorporate CLT into
their teaching. Eleven of them deemed lack of support as a major challenge. At the same time,
ten teachers regarded this as a challenge. Lack of support was thought to be a mild challenge
by six respondents whereas the remaining four believed that it was not a challenge at all.

 The Nature of Examination System

Grammar-based examinations were considered to be an important hindrance that slows

down the teachers to implement the CLT practices in English teaching in Morocco. As
demonstrated by the questionnaire data, fourteen respondents thought that grammar-based
exam types were a major challenge for them while nine believed this was a challenge. Also,
six respondents reported that such exams were a mild challenge whereas the remaining two
did not see them as a challenge at all.
  Large Classes

Having large classes is one of the key problems in the Moroccan educational system in
general. The questionnaire result revealed that the high number of students in classes was also
a serious concern in the use of CLT in English classes. While twelve respondents considered
this as a major challenge, ten marked it as a challenge. Five other teachers deemed large
classes as a mild challenge. There were only four respondents who did not think that large
classes acted as a barrier preventing them from implementing CLT in English classes.

 The Lack of Time for Developing Materials for Communicative Classes

The respondents also consider the lack of time for developing materials for
communicative classes a vital constraint for them to use CLT. As demonstrated by the
questionnaire data, ten respondents thought that the lack of time is a challenge for them while
eight believed this was a major challenge. Also, another eight respondents reported that this
problem is a mild challenge whereas the remaining five did not see them as a challenge at all.
CONCLUSION

This study has endeavored to provide a comprehensive insight into the extent to which
communicative language teaching (CLT) is implemented in Moroccan English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) classrooms. While the primary focus was on teachers' attitudes, the findings
offer valuable implications for other stakeholders, including policymakers, curriculum
designers, and educational practitioners, who aim to enhance EFL teaching and learning
within Moroccan schools.

Nevertheless, this study is not without its limitations. First, the research utilized semi-
structured interviews and online questionnaires with a sample of only 31 teachers. This
relatively small sample size cannot be considered representative of the entire population of
EFL teachers in Morocco, thereby limiting the generalizability of the findings. Additionally,
relying solely on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires may not provide a sufficiently
comprehensive understanding of CLT implementation in the EFL context.

Future studies could benefit from incorporating classroom observations to gain a more
nuanced view of how CLT is practiced in real instructional settings. Observational data would
complement self-reported data from teachers, offering a more holistic picture of the teaching
practices and their effectiveness. Moreover, employing a variety of data collection techniques
—such as combining interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, and perhaps student
performance assessments—would allow for the triangulation of results, thus yielding a
broader range of perspectives and a more robust validation of findings.

Finally, this research primarily concentrated on teachers' perceptions as the sole

variable. Future inquiries should extend to explore students' attitudes toward CLT and
investigate how the integration of this approach can enhance their oral proficiency in English.
Understanding students' perspectives would provide a more comprehensive evaluation of
CLT's efficacy and its impact on learners. By addressing these areas, subsequent research
could contribute significantly to the optimization of CLT practices and the overall
improvement of EFL education in Morocco.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to address the purpose stated above, the following research questions were generated:

 The Semi-Structured Interview Questions:

1. What are the attitudes of the Moroccan EFL teachers regarding the use of CLT
approach to enhance oral competency among students?
2. What sort of activities do EFL teachers use in their classrooms to promote their
students’ oral proficiency?
3. To what extent the communicative approach is manifested in the Moroccan EFL
curriculum?
4. To what extent the use of ICT can support learning English language oral proficiency?
5. What challenges impede the integration of the CLT approach in the EFL Moroccan
context?
 Online Questionnaires:

I. Participant Profile

1. Gendre :………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Age:

o 20-30
o 30-35
o 35-40
o +40

3. Academic degree:

o B.A Degree
o M.A Degree
o PHD

4. What is the average number of students in your class?

o Less than 15
o 15-25
o Ο 25-35
o Ο +35
II. Challenges and Difficulties Faced You While Teaching English By Communicative
Approach:

1. Did you come across any difficulties or do you think there might be some difficulties for
you in implementing CLT in your class?
o Yes
o No
2.1. STUDENT-RELATED DIFFICULTIES & CHALLENGES:

a. Students have low-level English proficiency:

4 3 2 1

b. Students have a passive style of learning:

4 3 2 1

c. Students resist participating in communicative class activities:

4 3 2 1

d. Students lack motivation for developing communicative competence:

4 3 2 1

2.2. DIFFICULTIES & CHALLENGES RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM:

a. There is a lack of enough support from administration:

4 3 2 1

b. The Nature of the examination system:

4 3 2 1

c. Grammar based examination:

4 3 2 1

d. Classes are too large for the effective use of CLT:

4 3 2 1
e. CLT needs more time to prepare teaching materials and create the classroom activities:

4 3 2 1

3. Please list any other potential problems and difficulties you might encounter in adopting
CLT in your class:

.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
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