Since the 1990s, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been extensively implemented in various settings (Richards, 2005). CLT is viewed as an effective teaching method that aims to enhance learners ‘communicative ability (Richards & Rodgers, 2014). Fascinatingly, although there are studies conducted in various EFL settings (for instance, Ngoc & Iwashita, 2012; Doeur, 2022; Phothongsunan, 2020; Nhem, 2019), implementing CLT in the classrooms remains challenging (Phothongsunan, 2020; Yusra & Lestari, 2020). According to Nhem (2019) and Doeur (2022), CLT is warmly welcomed by both teachers and students. CLT, however, is not regularly applied by EFL teachers for their teaching (Doeur, 2022; Karavas-Doukas, 1996). This is consistent with previous studies (for example, Abugohar et al., 2020; Karavas-Doukas, 1996; Rahimi & Naderi, 2014) found that CLT has not been employed frequently, albeit those teachers are significantly positive with this teaching approach. In Cambodia, this has been also an issue for the implementation of CLT in the classrooms. Lecture-based is still ingrained deeply in Cambodian society (MoEYS & WB, 2015 as cited in Sen, 2022), which is contradictory to CLT’s principles, focusing on student-centered-oriented.
The existing challenges of implementing CLT in EFL classrooms, despite its numerous benefits, play a pivotal role in this study. The enthusiasm for CLT among both teachers and students, as mentioned by Nhem (2019) and Doeur (2022), is contradictory to infrequent application in classrooms (Doeur, 2022; Karavas-Doukas, 1996). This inconsistency leads to scholarly attention to investigate more deeply on this issue. An in-depth understanding of this challenge is important not only for the effectiveness of teaching English in Cambodia but also for reforming other similar contexts. Minimal research attention has been directed toward the challenges of implementing CLT in Cambodian EFL contexts. It is undeniable although CLT has been spread in various settings (Richards, 2005), this teaching approach has encountered difficulties when implemented, especially in ASEAN countries (Yusra & Lestari, 2020). Yusra & Lestari (2020), as a result of their overview of potential articles from online databases, found that the main challenge of this issue is concerned with factors such as national settings (shifting goals of EFL learning), school settings (curriculum and learning culture), and classroom settings (teachers, students, and classroom texts and activities). Existing studies about CLT in Cambodian contexts mainly focused on quantitative inquiry (See, for example, Nhem, 2019 and Doeur, 2022), while the qualitative study can look deeper into all stakeholders’ perspectives, and provide detailed views of stakeholders’ multiple perspectives (Creswell, 2015).
By exploring the challenges faced by Cambodian EFL teachers, using qualitative study, we can understand multiple conceptions of classroom teachers and find out the challenges that they confront. With this understanding, researchers, teachers, school administrators, and policymakers can reform their current policies to support EFL teachers. Furthermore, understanding these challenges is not only for Cambodian EFL class teachers but is crucial for other similar contexts, especially for ASEAN countries. This qualitative study fills the gap by seeking the answer to the following question:
1. What are the primary challenges that Cambodian EFL teachers encounter when implementing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in their classrooms?