EFL Teachers’ Perception of Communicative Language Teaching Practices in Improving Students’ Intercultural Competences

Abstract

English language teaching in Ethiopia increasingly emphasizes communicative competence, yet classroom implementation often remains teacher-centred and provides limited opportunities for intercultural learning. This study examines how Ethiopian EFL teachers perceive Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), how their perceptions appear in classroom practice, and how CLT supports students’ intercultural competence. A qualitative multiple-case study involves 12 secondary-school English teachers selected purposively from Ethiopian schools. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, field notes, and demographic forms. The data are analysed thematically through familiarization, coding, categorization, within-case analysis, cross-case comparison, and theme development. The findings show that most teachers view CLT positively and associate it with participation, speaking practice, pair work, group discussion, role-play, and confidence building. However, their classroom practices only partly reflect these beliefs because many activities remain teacher-controlled, textbook-dependent, and focused on accuracy. Teachers also recognize the relationship between language and culture, although several interpret intercultural learning mainly as knowledge of customs and cultural facts. CLT contributes moderately to students’ intercultural competence when tasks include authentic interaction, cultural comparison, perspective-taking, negotiation of meaning, and reflective discussion. Its effectiveness depends on teacher mediation, task design, scaffolding, authentic materials, feedback, assessment alignment, professional development, class size, instructional time, learner proficiency, and institutional support. The study concludes that positive perceptions alone do not ensure effective intercultural CLT. Context-sensitive training, reflective communicative tasks, suitable materials, and assessment of intercultural outcomes are necessary to strengthen classroom implementation. These findings connect teacher cognition, classroom interaction, and intercultural learning within the realities of Ethiopian secondary education.