Communicative Language Approach (CLT) to the Teaching and Learning of Arabic Language in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

The most recent and effective method of teaching second or foreign language is Language Communicative Teaching (CLT). It emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “Communicative Approach”. Moreover, the 12th edition of the National University Commission (NUC) encourages Arabic teachers to adopt (CLT) approaches in their methodology of teaching. Therefore, this research intends to find out the level of compliance of lecturers in the Nigerian universities to this instruction. This research is qualitative in nature. Observation and document analysis were conducted to scrutinize the teaching methods as well as the language theories the teachers used in the classroom. The two Lagos State owned universities offering Arabic language as a course of study were selected as a case study. The field notes-based universities on the observation were used to analyze the teachers’ compliance with the CLT principles. The result shows that none of the classes observed adopted CLT approach in their teaching methodology. The study identified the necessary implications of second language teaching without Communicative Approach and suggests ways the approach can lead to an effective teaching of Arabic language in Nigerian institutions of higher learning.