The unsuccessful implementation of CLT in an English class: A narrative inquiry by a pre-service teacher

Abstract

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is widely promoted as an approach that supports meaningful interaction in English as a Foreign Language classroom. However, its classroom implementation can be challenging for pre-service teachers who are still developing pedagogical and classroom-management competence. This study explored factors that constrained the implementation of CLT during a teaching practicum. It employed an autobiographical narrative inquiry centred on the experience of a pre-service English teacher-researcher. The study was conducted in a ninth-grade class of 38 students, where CLT was implemented in eight 90-minute meetings. Two students with contrasting levels of English achievement were purposively selected to provide complementary perspectives on the teacher-researcher’s narrative. Data were collected through a self-reflective narrative frame, individual semi-structured interviews consisting of 15 questions and lasting approximately 15–20 minutes, and lesson-plan analysis. The data were analyzed thematically by familiarizing the data, coding meaningful segments, developing and reviewing themes, naming the themes, and integrating evidence across the three data sources. The findings identified three context-specific constraints: students’ limited engagement and communication, an unsupportive classroom environment, and the teacher-researcher’s insufficient preparedness, including limited instructional time and an incomplete understanding of students’ needs. The study concludes that CLT implementation during a teaching practicum requires gradual linguistic and affective scaffolding, responsive lesson planning, supportive peer norms, and sustained mentoring for pre-service teachers.