EFL LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION

The purpose of this study was to understand learners’ perceptions towards communication strategies (CSs). Fifteen upper-intermediate learners of English as a foreign language in an intact group were exposed to explicit teaching of communication strategies during 18 sessions of instruction along with their normal syllabus. Participants of the study were interviewed at the end of the course to elicit their attitudes about the treatment and communication strategies. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed in a qualitative approach. The analysis of the interviews revealed that learners were enthusiastic to use communication strategies in their L2 learning process. Moreover, “Use of all purpose words, Word coinage, Literal translation, Code switching, Nonverbal strategies, Use of fillers, Restructuring, and Asking for repetition” were eight more effective strategies from the perceptions of learners. Findings of the study have implications in helping learners overcome their communication problems in different contexts. Also, language teaching pedagogy can benefit from implementing teaching communication strategies in its syllabuses.