Rethinking Communicative Language Teaching (CLT-Based): Developing a Contextualized Model for Non-English Major University Students

Abstract

Communicative competence has become a central objective of English language teaching in higher education; however, many non-English major students continue to experience difficulties in developing speaking proficiency because classroom instruction often relies on decontextualized communication tasks that are disconnected from learners’ academic and social realities. Addressing this gap, this study aimed to develop and evaluate a Contextualized Communicative Language Teaching (CCLT) model and its accompanying speaking materials to enhance speaking instruction for non-English major students. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) design adapted from the ADDIE framework, encompassing needs analysis, model and material development, expert validation, limited try-out, revision, and field implementation. The participants consisted of non-English major university students, English lecturers, and expert validators. Data were collected through questionnaires, validation sheets, observation, speaking performance assessments, and interviews, and analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the developed CCLT model achieved a high level of content and pedagogical validity based on expert evaluation and was perceived as practical and relevant by both lecturers and students. Field implementation further demonstrated notable improvements in students’ speaking performance, particularly in fluency, interaction, confidence, and contextual language use. Integrating authentic communicative tasks with learners’ disciplinary and everyday contexts enabled students to engage more actively in meaningful communication. These findings suggest that the CCLT model provides a pedagogically sound and context-sensitive framework for speaking instruction and offers an effective alternative for enhancing communicative competence among non-English major learners in higher education.