You may have heard of the indigenous communicative teaching model and the constructivist approach to teaching, but what do they really mean for student learning?
Both theories emphasize the importance of students being active participants in the learning process. This means that they work together in groups, interact and communicate in order to resolve a problem. The teacher acts as a facilitator, not as the sole provider of knowledge.
So how does this approach impact student performance? A recent study found that students taught using the indigenous communicative teaching model outperformed their peers in reading comprehension tests. The results of this study suggest that this teaching method has a positive impact on student achievement.
Are you curious to learn more? Keep reading for a closer look at the indigenous communicative teaching model and its effects on student performance.
The theory of constructivism
Although there are many teaching models available to educators, the indigenous communicative teaching model has been found to be very successful in promoting student success in reading comprehension skills. This model is based on the communicative approach to language teaching and the constructivists’ approach. Both theories emphasize the active participation of learners in the teaching-learning process. The theory of constructivism posits that knowledge is not given but is constructed by learners through their interactions with others and their environment.
The communicative approach to language teaching believes that effective communication is not possible without understanding the culture of the people involved in the conversation. These two theories have been combined to create a very successful indigenous communicative teaching model that has been used in some schools here in the Philippines with great success.
Theoretical Framework
There are two main theories that support the indigenous communicative teaching model: the communicative approach to language teaching and the constructivist approach. Both theories emphasize the active participation of the learner in the teaching-learning process based on the fact that knowledge is not given but constructed in a social process. This implies that the learners work in groups/pairs, interact and communicate in order to resolve a problem and the teacher acts as a facilitator, not as the dispenser of knowledge.
What this means for you as a learner is that you will be more engaged in your learning process and work collaboratively with your classmates to achieve common goals. You will also be developing your communication skills, which will come in handy when you need to use English in the real world.
Methodology
Let’s take a look at the methodology used in this study.
The participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught using the indigenous communicative teaching model, while the control group was taught using the traditional method.
All participants were given a reading comprehension test at the beginning and end of the study. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in reading comprehension for the experimental group, but not for the control group.
So what does this mean? It means that the indigenous communicative teaching model is more effective than the traditional method when it comes to improving reading comprehension skills.
Results and Discussion
The results of the study showed that the indigenous communicative teaching model had a positive impact on the student’s performance in reading comprehension. This was evident in the fact that the students who were taught with this model achieved higher scores on the reading comprehension test than those who were taught with the traditional method. In addition, the studentsβ attitudes toward reading improved significantly.
The researchers attributed the positive results to the fact that the indigenous communicative teaching model is based on the communicative approach to language teaching and the constructivistsβ approach. Both theories emphasize the active participation of the learner in the teaching-learning process based on the fact that knowledge is not given but constructed in a social process. This implies that the learners work in groups/pairs, interact and communicate in order to resolve a problem and the teacher acts as a facilitator, not as the dispenser of knowledge.
The indigenous communicative teaching model seems to be an effective approach for teaching reading comprehension to secondary students. This study found that the use of this model improved student performance on reading comprehension tests. In addition, the use of this model also increased student engagement in the classroom.