Communicative Language Teaching for General Studies Curriculum
Abstract
Abstract The persistent deficits in the English language proficiency of Nigerian graduates continue to elicit sustained concern among employers, educators, and policymakers. Notwithstanding the institutionalisation of the Use of English course within the General Studies (GNS) curriculum, a significant proportion of graduates still demonstrate limited communicative competence across academic, professional, and socio-interactional domains. This study posits that Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) constitutes a robust pedagogical framework for the strategic repositioning of the Use of English course in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Anchored in the complementary theoretical paradigms of CLT and English for Specific Purposes (ESP), the study adopts a qualitative, interpretive research design, drawing on documentary analysis of extant scholarship, institutional reports, and policy instruments. It undertakes a critical interrogation of the structural and pedagogical limitations inherent in the current Use of English framework, identifies systemic gaps in curriculum design and instructional delivery, and advances a reform-oriented model that integrates oral, written, and digital literacies within discipline-specific communicative contexts. The study concludes that a CLT-driven curriculum, synergised with ESP principles, has the potential to enhance language proficiency and optimise graduate employability within an increasingly globalised and communicationintensive labour market. Among others, we recommend that the NUC and the NBTE should institutionalise CLT-oriented competencies within national benchmark frameworks for tertiary education.