EXPLORING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT IN EOP CLASSROOMS: A CASE STUDY FROM A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study investigates the development of communicative competence in English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) classrooms at a university in Vietnam.
Focusing on teachers' practices, the research explores how communicative competence is fostered using Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) principles.
Utilizing a qualitative approach, data were collected from 13 recorded EOP classes. Data was analyzed from teaching classroom activities, instructional materials,
and in-depth interviews with teachers. The findings indicate that CLT principles were widely applied in EOP classrooms to develop communicative competence.
However, challenges persist, such as the diversity of student proficiency levels and the limitations of pre-designed teaching materials. The study emphasizes the
need for improvement in teaching materials and adopts different teaching approaches. These findings provide practical recommendations to enhance EOP
teaching practices and better equip students for workplace communication.