TEACHERS’ BELIEFS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING AT PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL IN IRAN

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is widely regarded as an effective approach for developing learners’ communicative competence in a second language. However, the implementation of CLT in primary schools is often influenced by teachers’ beliefs, which may not always align with the principles of this approach. This study explores the beliefs of primary school teachers in Iran regarding CLT and how these beliefs impact their classroom practices. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis from five purposively selected teachers. The findings reveal that teachers hold pedagogical and methodological beliefs that often hinder the effective implementation of CLT. These beliefs stem from inadequate training, a preference for traditional teaching methods, and contextual challenges such as large class sizes and curriculum demands. The study concludes with recommendations for teacher training programs to emphasize CLT methodologies and for schools to provide ongoing professional development to align teachers’ beliefs with contemporary language teaching practices.

کلیدواژه ها:

Communicative competence ، communicative language teaching ، classroom practice ، English as a foreign language ، teachers’ beliefs