IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BY IMPLEMENTING COMMUNICATIVE TEACHING IN ENGLISH LESSONS

European Science Education 1 IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BY IMPLEMENTING COMMUNICATIVE TEACHING IN ENGLISH LESSONS Denisa BALOGOVÁ Mgr., Faculty of Law, Institute of Foreign Language Legal Communication, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2816-9675 Abstract. The article deals with the application of communicative teaching in English lessons in the 4th grade of primary school with the aim of improving reading comprehension. The author identifies the problem of low reading skills among pupils and proposes a solution through communicative teaching methods that integrate language competencies and support active text processing. The theoretical part of the article defines the concepts of communicative teaching, reading comprehension, and role-playing. In the practical part, the author presents a lesson implementing communicative teaching methods focused on reading comprehension. Keywords: Communicative teaching, Reading comprehension, Cognitive linguistics, Individual competencies. Introduction According to Lojová (2012), in today’s globalizing Europe, the demands for developing intercultural awareness and mastering foreign languages, especially English, are increasing, as English is becoming a universal means of communication in a multilingual world. In line with European trends to lower the age for institutionalized foreign language learning, Slovakia has introduced compulsory English language instruction from the third grade. Kramárová (2010) adds that, given the European integration process characterized by high dynamism and interculturality, the demands on the level of foreign language education at all levels are increasing. This simultaneously raises the requirements for the quality of foreign language education in schools. Kollárová and Borbášová (2024) emphasize the prosocial, ethical, and moral dimension of education. It is essential in education that aims to connect knowledge from various fields and respect values. The ethical and moral aspect becomes key in all forms of communication and scientific disciplines; therefore, it is necessary for it to become a constant part of lessons. Although Slovakia is on the right path to achieving optimal results, it is sometimes challenging for pupils to learn in context. European Science Education 2 Amid the flood of information, pupils sometimes fail to find connections in reading texts, remain passive recipients of information, and struggle to link new material to previous lessons. Summary of the main material. One of the shortcomings in foreign language education is incorrect reading comprehension. We consider communicative teaching of English as a suitable method for implementing knowledge to improve reading comprehension. Special emphasis is placed on the ethical dimension of applying English language knowledge, which can be achieved through role-playing, which, according to Kollárová (2024), develops empathy, respect, responsibility, and cooperation in various authentic communication situations. Communicative Language Teaching Communicative language teaching is considered one of the most suitable activating language methods implemented in foreign language education at the primary school level. Repka (1997, p. 64) approaches the following key principles of communicative teaching: 1. the principle of purposefulness, 2. the principle of subordinating language means to the practice of communicative skills, 3. the situational principle, 4. the principle of authenticity of communication processes, 5. the principle of evaluating the communicative effectiveness of the received or produced language in relation to given goals and tasks. According to Kollárová (2024), activating methods develop pupils’ communication skills, self-presentation, ability to learn to argue appropriately, defend their opinions, and foster creative and critical thinking. The author also notes that activating methods teach pupils to perceive purposefully, stimulate attention and speech, and, above all, teach them to think in global contexts. According to Bérešová (2012), communicative teaching can be summarized as follows: 1. The goal of teaching the target language is the ability to use the language effectively and correctly. 2. The focus is on effective communication, oral or written. If the pupil’s age allows, all communication skills can be practiced in integration. 3. New vocabulary is learned in context. Pupils decide what they want to say and how they want to say it. 4. Grammar is learned inductively, through the process of struggling to communicate one’s intention. 5. The sequence that maintains interest in language learning is determined by content, function, or meaning. 6. Emphasis is placed on meaning; therefore, context is the basic premise. 7. The mother tongue serves only to simplify or speed up the learning process. European Science Education 3 8. The teacher has multiple roles: helping pupils learn the target language through attempts that may involve errors, serving as a model, advisor, supporter, and expert not only in linguistics but also in didactics. 9. Pupils are expected to communicate through group work or pair work. They actively learn the language by trying to transform their own thoughts into the language, making mistakes that teach them how to express themselves correctly in the target language. 10. Culture is part of the language. Acquiring intercultural communication enables pupils to communicate better in the target culture and overcome prejudices and tolerate behavior, thinking, and beliefs (Bérešová, 2012, pp. 27–28). Role-playing is considered a very effective activating method in foreign language teaching. Kollárová and Melišeková Dojčanová (2024) note that this method not only brings pupils to new necessary knowledge but also has great significance for their personal-social dimension. It teaches them to manage tension and relaxation, stimulates competencies such as decision-making, emotional stability, ability to express opinions, listen, and learn. At the same time, according to Kollárová and Borbášová (2024), it emphasizes the importance of applying morality, character, and prosocial behavior, which should not only be the focus of ethics education but also part of all teaching in the school context. The authors also stress the teacher’s prosocial approach, guiding pupils toward empathy, politeness, resilience, and willingness to help others, shaping personalities capable of contributing to better functioning of contemporary civil society. Improving Reading Comprehension through Communicative Teaching As an English teacher in primary school, I identified incorrect text comprehension as one of the key problems among pupils. Therefore, I focused on supporting reading comprehension by applying principles of communicative teaching. Gavora (2012) states that text comprehension is interpretation, searching for and finding meaning in the text, explaining the text for oneself. The author reminds us that no text is isolated; it is always connected to other texts - so-called intertextuality, which is very frequent in schools. All texts form a network interconnected by complex links. E. Homolová (2016) notes that reading comprehension is a skill that provides students with many opportunities to acquire, practice, and consolidate language. Students can acquire new vocabulary, grammatical structures, and spelling through reading. Pupils who read (and listen) more improve their overall level of English much faster. Reading texts also brings interesting topics related to pupils’ lives and interests. They can serve as a springboard for other motivating activities, such as discussions, role-playing, writing letters, essays, stories, etc. According to Gavora (2012), the basic didactic rule is to eliminate passive learning as much as possible. In active learning, the pupil is the constructor of their own knowledge, not a passive recipient of information. This means that the pupil must “translate” the received knowledge into their own language and transfer it into their own world. Gavora (2012) also notes European Science Education 4 that this is a demanding process requiring teacher strategies that lead pupils to better text comprehension and subsequent retention. These strategies are applied in three phases of working with the text: 1. before reading, 2. during reading, 3. after reading. Activities Before Reading the Text According to Gavora (2012), activating pupils’ prior knowledge about the topic before reading is crucial for comprehension. At this stage, the teacher asks pupils questions about what they know about the topic. If pupils know little about the topic before reading, it is up to the teacher to build a bridge. Activities During Reading the Text According to Gavora, the purpose of activities during reading is to maintain focus on the objectives of reading the specific text set before reading and to apply strategies that support comprehension and retention. Depending on the length and nature of the text, the teacher may have pupils read the entire text without interruption or read it in parts. The second option is usually more methodologically interesting because after reading each part, the teacher can intervene, ask a question, give advice, or use another methodological element to guide pupils toward comprehension (Gavora, 2012, p. 97). Activities After Reading the Text G. Lojová notes that after reading the text, the teacher should follow up on the topic with activities that allow pupils to use the knowledge gained from reading. These may include answering comprehension questions, transformation activities (e.g., turning the text into a picture), classifying key concepts, sequencing story events, identifying incorrect statements, activities developing other language skills within the topic, dramatization, etc. (Lojová, 2012, p. 182). The main activities include:  Finding information  Identifying key information  Summarizing the text Example Lesson Applying Communicative Teaching During Reading Comprehension In this lesson, we used material from Cory-Wright, Kate (2017), National Geographic Our World. Student’s Book Level 4, as listed in the sources. Motivational Phase – 10 minutes Activity 1 (3 minutes) Say: One of the words you learned in this unit is sneeze. People have different sneezes. Ask pupils: How does a soft sneeze sound? How does a loud sneeze sound? Tell pupils to cover their noses and mouths when sneezing. Ask: What parts of your face move when you sneeze? How could we protect ourselves? Activity 2 (3 minutes) Tell pupils to open their books to page 66: Why do we sneeze? Read the title aloud and ask: Why do you think people European Science Education 5 sneeze? Write their statements on the board and identify the most frequent ones. Exposition Phase – 15 minutes Activity 3 (3 minutes) Introduce new vocabulary:  Centre – the main subject or cause of something  Inherited – a disease or quality passed on through genes  Message – a piece of written or spoken information sent to someone  Muscles – tissue connecting bones, used for movement  Photic – relating to light, especially as an agent of chemical change or physiological response  Tickle – to move fingers gently on someone’s skin to cause laughter or pleasant feeling  Trait – a particular quality in someone’s character Activity 4 (5 minutes) Play audio recording TR:A37 (page 66 – Student’s Book). Pupils read the text titled Why do we sneeze? After the first silent reading, ask pupils to check if their predictions about the causes of sneezing were correct. Activity 5 (7 minutes) Play the same recording again, stopping after each paragraph to ask comprehension questions:  After the first paragraph: When you’ve got a cold, what makes you sneeze? (germs)  After the second paragraph: Where is your sneeze centre? (in the brain) What makes the sneeze centre send a message to your muscles? (the tickle in the nose) For the third paragraph: I’m not sure what the word photic means in the third paragraph. In the third sentence, the word “photic sneezers” is in quotation marks. So photic describes people who sneeze. The second sentence talks about people sneezing when they go into the sunshine. What is the meaning of the word photic connected with? – Sunshine. Activity 6 (3 minutes) Ask pupils to look at the sentence and diagram under the picture and describe them. Say: This diagram shows how many people can be affected by one person’s sneeze. Ask: Who’s the dark green person at the top? (the person sneezing) Who are the many light green people? (the other people around the sneezing person) Read aloud the “Weird but true” section and show the iguana picture. Ask: What other animals sneeze? Fixation Phase – 10 minutes Activity 6 (5 minutes) Pupils reread the text and mark T for true and F for false: 1. Germs live in your nose all the time T/F 2. The sneeze centre is in your brain T/F 3. People always sneeze when they catch a cold T/F 4. We get colds from our parents. They are inherited T/F At the end of the lesson, pupils play role games as doctor and patient using the vocabulary. Divide pupils into pairs: one is the doctor, the other the patient. The patient shows symptoms, and the doctor gives advice. PATIENT: I’ve got … European Science Education 6 DOCTOR: You need … Evaluation/Reflection of the Lesson Based on my observations and pupils’ results, I consider the communicative method an excellent tool for improving pupils’ communicative competence in English lessons. This method improved pupils’ results not only in reading comprehension but also in other skills. By applying this method, pupils understood the text correctly, read in context, reproduced main ideas, and created coherent texts based on the information read. Pupils enjoyed English lessons, became more communicative, and improved their oral and written performance. Conclusion This article addresses improving communicative competence in reading comprehension. The method used to achieve a higher level of communicative competence among pupils was communicative teaching. We discussed the current situation of English language education in primary education and defined terms such as communicative teaching, reading comprehension, and role-playing. Based on the implemented lesson and observations, it can be concluded that communicative teaching is an effective tool for developing reading comprehension in English. An essential finding is that reading aloud supports silent reading. The use of role-playing games is an effective tool for applying knowledge in authentic situations. Pupils became more active, were able to interpret texts better, developed their language competencies, and at the same time improved their ability to express themselves both orally and in writing. The use of activating methods, such as role-playing and working with context, contributed not only to the development of language skills but also to the formation of pupils’ personal and social competencies. The ethical aspect of role-playing was reflected in pupils’ ability to interpret various activities in authentic situations, express their opinions, respect their individuality, and cooperate in groups. Based on these facts, we can conclude that communicative teaching of English, which includes integrated teaching of all skills using role-playing, increases communicative competence in reading comprehension and thus the overall level of English language proficiency. References 1. BÉREŠOVÁ, JANA, 2009 Didaktika anglického jazyka. Bratislava: Metodickopedagogické centrum. 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