THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN THE ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present information about the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), which is an implementation of the CLT in terms of syllabus design and methodology. The primary goal of CLT is to make learners develop the ability to use language to get things done, whereas language learning occurs by producing it, and not by drilling it. In this sense, TBLT provides a connection between the classroom and the real-world through the use of task-based activities, where learners are encouraged to comprehend, manipulate, produce, and interact in the L2. The theoretical framework about CLT is based on Ballman (2001), Richards (2015, 2006), Richards and Rodgers (2014), and about TBLT is based on Nunan (2015, 2013, 2010, 2004). Therefore, to complement this research, I carried out a case study to show the strengths and weaknesses of an English as a second language student in Brazil, who had had CLT classes in English previously. The adult participant of the case study concluded her English studies in the second semester of 2020 in a language course, in the city of Canoas-RS, Brazil. Data of the learner’s L2 oral production was collected applying six TBLT tasks, related to her level of instruction, and analyzed in this paper. According to the results obtained, I found some weaknesses, such as not having enough world knowledge about a specific topic, which hindered communication in one of the tasks. However, the learner’s strengths outweighed her weaknesses, which show that CLT together with TBLT can be efficient in the acquisition of English as a second language.