Communicative approach in teaching an L2. Criticisms

 Many schools are adopting a communicative approach at the time to teach an L2. Here, we are going to detail several criticisms (Swan, 1985; Bax, 2003) regarding this extended doctrine:

1. Assumes no L1 transfer. L2 learners already possess communicative skills that might be useful. These L1 communicative skills are ignored and they could be used to enhance the L2 learning process. 

2. No consideration of new knowledge or usefulness. This approach does not take into consideration the learners' background knowledge nor the usefulness of the practice implemented. 

3. Contextual factors affecting learners are avoided. Social, environmental, personal, academic, and motivational factors affecting L2 learners are considered. 

4. Academic explanation avoided. Since essential aspects of any language are reduced to a minimum or are not taught (grammar, phonetics, spelling, etc.), L2 learners cannot comprehend the functioning of the L2 language, which fosters the creation of multiple learning gaps. 

5. Egocentrism, the method is all you need. The means or method justifies the end. However, there is not any universal truth in education, no magical formula that can guarantee that with its implementation learners can become fluent in the L2.   

6. Reactive learners. Learners are dependent on the teacher and external factors. They cannot build their own knowledge since the grammatical, semantic, and phonetic rules are reduced to a minimum, which prevents them from understanding the processes and functioning of the L2 language. Therefore, L2 learners under this approach cannot become independent learners. Their knowledge is always outside-in, instead of inside-out. 

Therefore, an L2 teaching based upon this approach, creates confusion and inefficiency. The use of this approach alone, also fosters the development of learning gaps since learners are not provided with all the necessary tools to learn. Also, this approach builds dependent learners, not able to build their own L2 knowledge since they don't know the grammatical, phonetic, and semantic rules.