Objectives of Communicative Approach

Generally speaking, the objectives of Communicative Approach aims at developing the learners’ communicative competence; the curriculum or instructional objectives for a particular course would reflect specific aspects of communicative-competence according to the learners’ proficiency level and communicative needs. Piepho (1981) discusses the following levels of objectives in the Communicative Approach:

1. An integrative and content level (language as a means of expression);

2. A linguistic and instrumental level (language as a semiotic system and an object of learning);

3. An affective level of interpersonal relationships and conduct (language as a means of expressing values and judgments about oneself and others);

4. A level of individual learning needs (remedial learning based on error analysis);

5. A general educational level of extra-linguistic goals (language learning within the school curriculum).

(Piepho, 1981: 8)

These are proposed as general objectives, applicable to any teaching situation. Particular objectives for CLT cannot be defined beyond this level of specification, since such an approach assumes that language teaching will reflect the particular needs of the target learners.