Students reportedly said that in large classes they felt safe and more relaxed, there was a sense of healthy competition, they enjoyed the stimulating learning experience and had an opportunity to make friends.
According to Nunan (1989) the communicative language teacher is the "facilitator of the communication process, participants" tasks and texts, needs analyst, counsellor, process manager". CLT requires students to be actively involved in the learning process in contrast with the traditional teaching methods of grammar theory/teacher fronted classes. It is a dynamic two-way process that focuses on meaningful tasks and relevance to the learners using authentic materials (Li, 2001, pp. 149-165).
Given the problems that have been identified in relation to teaching large classes, is it realistic to think that such classes can be taught using CLT methods? And to what extent can teachers use this method? .
Shamin (1996) reports that she encountered strong student resistance in her attempts to introduce CLT into classes. Chau and Chung cited in Li (2001) report that "teachers used CLT only sparingly because it required too much preparation time." Ellis also cited in Li (2001) observed that "class size, grammar-based examinations, and lack of exposure to authentic language as constraints on using CLT. In Japan, where classes frequently number between 40-50 students, English is still being taught in a passive style and is not communicatively based (Gilfert & Croker, 1997). .
Li (1998) in a case study involving 18 South Korean teachers, explored the difficulties experienced by those teachers in attempting to use CLT methods in their classes. The case study results were compiled into four sub-categories identifying source and difficulty; Teachers, Students, Educational systems and CLT. "Large classes" was listed under the educational system. The results were interesting. The biggest impediment to introducing CLT into the classroom was the teacher.