Middle School Students’ Communicative Competence: An Action Research Study

This study aimed to develop and implement an English grammar instruction model that enhances communicative competence among Korean middle school students. Using an action research approach, data were collected through cycles of reflection, planning, action, and improvement. Specifically, the study reflected on the current grammar instructions of a middle school English class, assessed students’ receptive and productive grammatical ability and affective factors (e.g., learning motivation and anxiety), and identified their needs. The analysis revealed that the current grammar instruction mainly consisted of decontextualized and mechanical practices and failed to develop students’ ability to produce target grammar structures, while overlooking learners’ affective factors and their needs to actively use and apply grammatical structures in meaningful contexts. To address these limitations, a focus-on-form approach and task-based language teaching (TBLT) were integrated into grammar instruction, which incorporated meaningful input, focused tasks, and feedback on task performance. The results indicated notable improvements in students’ ability to produce grammar, along with reduced learning anxiety. Additional areas for improvement were identified, and pedagogical implications for grammar instruction in middle school English classrooms are discussed.