Communicative Language Teaching: A Strategy for Improving First-Year Students' Speaking Skills at the University Level

Abstract

This study investigates the consequences of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) technique on the communicative proficiency of first-year students at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazirabad. The primary objective is to evaluate how effective CLT is in improving students' speaking abilities compared to traditional teaching methods. A true experimental design was used, involving 40 Students were split up two groups: an experimental group that was taught CLT utilizing the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) and a control group. The outcome displayed that, in comparison to the control group, the group receiving CLT-based teaching significantly improved their communication skills. According to the study findings CLT is a more effective method for enhancing speaking proficiency among undergraduate students, indicating its potential for more widespread application in language instruction. The research adds to this growing body of knowledge on modern language teaching methods and offers valuable insights for educators in higher education.