Canale and Swain's four dimensions of communicative competence as a lexical exercise framework¶

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Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Robinson adopts Canale and Swain's (1980) checklist of four dimensions of communicative competence as the organizing framework for vocabulary materials. Canale (1983) 'describes comnicative competence' as the underlying systems of knowledge and skill required for communication, comprising grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic components. Robinson uses the components as a 'variable focus' for exercise types aiming at broad coverage of the abilities involved in lexical-communicative competence, with coverage restricted according to learner needs.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Exercise types must give broad coverage to the range of abilities involved in developing lexical-communicative competence

Constraints¶

• Each component interacts with the others in any message; coverage of each aspect can be restricted for particular groups of students with particular needs

Target Learners¶

• ESP and EFL/ESL university students, such as the engineering and business students at the University of Bahrain

Target Learning Objectives¶

• lexical-communicative competence across grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic dimensions

Claims¶

• Vocabulary instruction should focus on procedures of meaning negotiation as much as on declarative word meanings [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Canale and Swain's integrative framework of communicative competence: grammatical, sociolinguistic, and discourse components
• Multidimensional oral proficiency assessment framework grounded in communicative competence theory
• Procedural-declarative distinction in lexical knowledge

Examples¶

• Paraphrase exercises using general basic words to assimilate meaning
• Word-set exercises for contextualising vocabulary via imagined possible worlds
• Word-net exercises linking lexical knowledge to grammatical awareness

Key Sources¶

• Robinson, Peter J. (1988). Procedural and Declarative Knowledge in Vocabulary Learning: Communication and the Language Learner's Lexicon. Paper presented at the 22nd Annual TESOL Convention, Chicago. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED296585