Perceptions towards In-Class Activity in the English Language Teaching and Learning

Communicative approach of language teaching has attracted considerable attention since the early 1970s. The main argument reveals that communicative competence has been seen as one of the central goals to achieve for language learners. This derives mainly from the belief that language is a means of communication. Students in the English as Foreign Language (EFL) context are usually described as silent learners due to deficient communicative competence, along with the effect of traditional teacher-centered instruction approach. In a teacher-centered teaching environment, the students usually play passive roles who receive information or knowledge mainly from the teachers. Instead, the teachers play dominating roles, who decide and control almost the entire teaching and learning process. This paper intends to employ communication-based activity---simulation--- to understand the participants’ perceptions and their problems when they use the target language in real situations. Forty-seven students take part in this case study. The results indicate that most of the participants hold positive attitudes toward simulation activities, regardless of their English proficiency. However, the participants also express their concerns, such as speaking anxiety, lack of confidence. To help the students rebuild their confidence, the teachers are suggested to develop appropriate communicative-based activities to increase the students’ learning efficiency.