IMPACT OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH ON ADULT LEARNERS’ PERFORMANCE; A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE ADULTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING CONTEXTS

Abstract

Communicative Approach (CA), the reigning king in current language teaching contexts according to many researchers (Garni,2019), plays a vital role in the contexts of English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) locally and globally since its emergence in 1970s. At this crucial juncture, this study examines the impact of Communicative Approach on adult learners’ performance in English as a second language contexts in higher education in Sri Lanka. A sample of 60 adult learners was considered for the case study conducted in an Advanced Technological Institute (ATI) and data were collected through two tests and a focused group interview. Written tests consisted of two individual tests. Data collected was analyzed by using SPSS package and percentages. The quantitative findings were derived from descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data collected through the focused group interview. Both quantitative and qualitative results accentuate that CA makes a positive impact on learner performance and communicative competence.