Teaching English Language

Teaching English Language

EFL Teachers’ Language Awareness and Communication Strategies

Document Type : Original Article

Author
the University of Danang - Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology
10.22132/tel.2026.546669.1973
Abstract
English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ spoken English in classroom is an important input for students because they have few opportunities to practise English out of the classroom context. However, the use of classroom oral English has been shown to be a big challenge to EFL teachers due to different factors such as students’ low proficiency. This qualitative study investigates five lecturers’ use of oral English communication strategies (CSs) in EFL non-major classes at two public colleges in Vietnam and how different roles and domains of teacher language awareness affect those strategies. Data were collected via classroom observations and individual interviews with lecturers. Findings reveal that they used six main types of CSs to both enhance classroom communication and facilitate students’ overall learning process. Results also show that while the domains of language user and language analyst were manifested in lecturers’ practical use of communication strategies, the role of a language teacher shaped lecturers’ beliefs on communication strategy functions. This study concluded that EFL teachers need to develop a highly critical language awareness so as to provide well-formed and rich L2 input to students. Also, examining the role of EFL teachers’ communication strategies requires a more mindful consideration of classroom contexts.
Keywords

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Volume 20, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 303-333

  • Receive Date 12 September 2025
  • Revise Date 25 August 2026
  • Accept Date 16 September 2026