Effective strategies for enhancing communicative competence in english among primary school students: approaches and practical applications

Abstract

This research examines effective pedagogical strategies to strengthen English communicative competence among primary school students. The study came out the problems encountered by students in successful English communication which arise owing to the traditional grammar-based teaching approach, lack of speaking experience and limited engagement in the classroom. The primary goal to analyze and develop was to analyze and develop student-centered, active strategies to enhance communicative competence in English. A mixed-methodologies approach was adopted, through surveys conducted to 80 sixth- and parallel classes A and B of seventh-grade students, a semi-structured interview with the English teacher, and observation sheet at the Unidad Educativa Fiscomisional “Nuestra Señora de Fátima”. The data indicate that the active and engaging techniques increased notably the speech skills of the student’s communication and performance. Nevertheless, the analysis demonstrated that these methodologies are not consistently implemented in the classroom, thereby emphasizing a deficiency in effective students centered teaching methods. Finally, the study presents pedagogical recommendations to enhance the teaching of communicative English in Ecuadorian educational contexts, including the design of a practical guide of communicative interactive activities for teachers to foster students’ speaking skills and meaningful use of English in the classroom.