The Development Pathway Of Communicative Competence Through Contextual Instruction In English

This article examines the development pathway of communicative competence (CC) in English through contextual instruction (CI). Drawing on Trevor Doyle’s learner-centred framework and the contextualization–decontextualization– recontextualization (CDR) principle, the paper proposes a cyclical eight-stage framework comprising: student database, content with language focus, setting learning intentions, text and context selection, prior knowledge activation, learning strategy development, collaboration, and authentic assessment. Each stage is analysed in terms of its pedagogical implications and contribution to fostering autonomous, competent users of English in academic, professional, and global contexts. The Whole–Part–Whole model, the REACT strategy, and the Gradual Release of Responsibility model are integrated as core methodological tools supporting contextualised language learning. To enhance the practical relevance of the framework, the article also presents findings from a pilot quasi-experimental study, which provided preliminary evidence of the pathway’s effectiveness in supporting the development of students’ communicative competence in English.