AVAILABILITY AND UTILISATION OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT) MATERIALS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN FCT, ABUJA

Abstract

Different studies have examined various English language teaching methods being utilised by English teachers in secondary schools in Nigeria. However, there is an insignificant focus on communicative language teaching (CLT), which is a popular teaching method in many developed countries of the world. This study therefore investigates the availability and utilisation of communicative language teaching (CLT) materials in secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory, FCT-Abuja. CLT emphasises the active participation of learners in classroom activities and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This research sets out to identify the extent to which CLT materials are available, and how they are being utilised in classroom settings in secondary schools in the FCT. The data were collected through observation of English lessons and interviews with English teachers across selected schools in Abuja. The findings reveal that many schools in Abuja are sufficiently equipped with CLT materials, contrary to the findings of many research studies that one of the major problems with implementing CLT in various contexts is a lack of CLT materials. However, the findings highlight a significant gap in the effective utilisation of CLT materials. The research recommends an intervention from the Ministry of Education and private school owners in providing continuous professional development (CPD) programmes that will equip English teachers with the necessary skills required to fully implement CLT in English lessons.

Keywords: C LT, second language learning, CLT materials, utilisation