Enhancing Classroom Communication: The Impact of Sociolinguistic Competence Training on Primary School Teachers in Multilingual Charsadda, Pakistan

Abstract

This study examines the impact of Sociolinguistic Competence training on primary school teachers in Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who are multilingual in Pashto, Urdu, and English, raising important pedagogical questions. The aim is to assess whether Sociolinguistic competence training enhances teachers' communicative practices. Using a mixed-methods experimental design grounded in Dell Hymes' Communicative Competence Framework, the study involves 100 teachers divided equally into Experimental and Control groups. Quantitative analysis via an independent-samples t-test reveals that the Experimental Group showed a significant improvement, with a mean difference of 69.28 points, compared to the Control Group. Results indicate that teachers in the Control Group continued to rely on inflexible, grammar-focused methods. In contrast to the teachers in the Control group, teachers who had been trained were more flexible and attempted various strategies to facilitate classroom learning, such as code-switching and register variation. This shift underscores the importance of inclusive pedagogy, which can motivate policymakers to prioritize such training. Further qualitative information also provided evidence of these outcomes, showing a change in teachers' attitudes towards linguistic diversity and its use in the classroom, not as a 'setback' but as a useful pedagogical device. Overall, the study emphasizes that introducing sociolinguistic concepts into professional development courses can foster inclusive pedagogy and instructional approaches, create a better learning environment, and reduce the marginalization of learners in multilingual classes.