How to Facilitate Development of Communicative Competence

Krashen (1982) sets forth the affective filter hypothesis as a way of explaining

language learners’ resistance to producing outcome and communicating in the L2. “Research during the [1970’s] has confirmed that a variety of affective variables relate to success in second language acquisition” (p. 31). Krashen describes these varieties to be motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Students need to feel motivation and self-confidence to engage openly and unrestrained in L2 communication, which, as stated by Witte (2014), is a prerequisite for developing intercultural competence. Krashen (1982) clarifies that teachers need to facilitate a

nonthreatening learning environment for students to gain competence and not only knowledge, as knowledge is only one aspect of intercultural competence. His argument is “that we acquire via input, what we read and hear, and not via output, actual talking and writing” (p. 57). He also distinguishes between language acquisition and language learning, saying that acquisition leads to competence and learning leads to knowledge not yet implemented into unconscious use and fluency. However, he does state that “[e]ngaging in conversation is probably much more effective than ‘eavesdropping’ for language acquisition” (p. 60-61). That is to say that one can learn a language without talking, but one cannot acquire it without performance.

Throughout this thesis the concepts of learning and acquisition will be used as defined by Krashen.

Krashen (1982) states that two conditions need to be fulfilled to acquire an L2, and those are comprehensible input and a low affective filter (p. 33). If these two conditions are fulfilled, students will be able to acquire an L2 communicative competence. Consequently, Krashen presents the effective language teacher to be “someone who can provide input and help make it comprehensible in a low anxiety situation” (p. 32). This “implies that [teachers’]

pedagogical goals should not only include supplying comprehensible input, but also creating a situation that encourages a low filter” Krashen says (p. 32). In other words, teachers need to provide comprehensible input and facilitate the conditions around the students in such a way that they feel comfortable to perform and communicate orally in their L2. This way, students may develop intercultural competence and also become more engaged in the subject at hand.

Krashen adds that “[i]f the topic being discussed is at all interesting, and if it is

comprehensible, much of the ‘pressure’ normally associated with a language class will be

‘off’, anxiety will be lowered, and acquisition will result” (p. 74). In a more recent work, Krashen (1998) points out that the majority of students do not like having to speak the target language in front of their peers. Students report that being pushed to do so is unpleasant (p.

179). Krashen also states that it would be interesting “to see how students will do if their classes are filled with comprehensible input, if they have access to a great deal of very interesting reading and listening materials (films, tapes), and if the acquisition is genuinely free of anxiety” (p. 181). The challenge then becomes to find tasks that capture the interest of the students group at large and methods that can lower students’ performance anxiety and give way to communicative competence as an important part of intercultural competence.

Students today were born (and have grown up) in a technological society where they have handled electronic devices from a very early age. Through these modern, digital devices and media such as computers, Internet, social media, games etc., the students are used to a

high level of action, and thus traditional teaching through textbooks may appear boring to them. It therefore becomes important for teachers to include modern technology and bring the students’ daily lives into the classroom and make use of what appears to be interesting for the students to work with. Mueller, Jones, Ricks, Schlegelmilch & Deusen (2001) support the idea of information communication technology (ICT) in the classroom saying that when ICT is used for teaching purposes, it helps increase students’ interest in the topic at hand (p. 24).

Additionally, “students are much more likely to understand concepts better when ICT is used in the classroom” (p. 25). These statements about applying ICT resources to teaching support both the idea of engaging the students and of a good learning outcome. Can the use of ICT resources in teaching also contribute to facilitate motivating and confident learning

environments for the students, so they will engage actively and unstrained in L2 communication?

Film scenes can be analyzed and roleplayed by the students for them to embody the experience of a culturally determined situation, and when students are roleplaying they often put aside anxiety to play the role of someone else (Cunico, 2007, p. 28). By using props or simple costumes like a hat, the situation may become even less intimidating for the students.

They then play the role of someone else and they are not themselves. Troung & Tran (2014) suggest that: “role-playing activities require […] students to imagine themselves to behave, act and ‘live’ through a different culture, though for only a short time” (p. 221), and can in this way be an efficient method to learn about or even acquire intercultural competence. If the students additionally film the roleplays, they can re-record the scenes until they are satisfied and they will not have to worry about remembering their lines when the outcome has to be

“performed” in class. They can then sit with the rest of the class and enjoy their own

performance. Krashen (1982) underlines that “methods and materials should not be a test of the student’s abilities or prior experiences, should not merely reveal weaknesses, but should help the student acquire more [competence]” (p. 73). The use of roleplay as a tool to promote intercultural competence may contribute to embody students’ intercultural knowledge and help them gain understanding of a different culture. Making film of students’ roleplays may additionally be a way both to motivate students, facilitate a safe learning environment and to help them think and act in interculturally appropriate ways. A bonus of using film this way could perhaps also be an increased linguistic acquisition and thereby develop communicative competence, as the students will speak the target language unencumbered by inhibitions.