THE INTERPLAY OF TEACHER PRACTICES AND STUDENT COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN DIVERSE CLASSROOMS

Abstract

In increasingly multicultural and multilingual classrooms, developing students’ communicative competence is a vital educational goal. Communicative competence includes not only the ability to convey information effectively but also the skills needed to navigate diverse cultural contexts. As educators, it is essential to implement strategies that cultivate inclusive environments where all students feel empowered to express themselves and engage with their peers. This paper examines how teacher practices—particularly those that are culturally responsive, linguistically inclusive, and focused on interaction—affect the communicative competence of students in diverse learning environments. Drawing on sociocultural and communicative competence theories, the article reviews empirical findings and proposes pedagogical strategies to enhance classroom communication. The study reveals that teacher awareness, instructional methods, and patterns of classroom interaction significantly influence students' communicative development, especially for English Language Learners (ELLs) and students from diverse linguistic backgrounds.