Sociolinguistic, Discourse, and Literary Competences in English Language Studies: A Critical Review of Barro-Punzalan’s Study on Enhancing Communicative Competence
Keywords:
Communicative Competence, Sociolinguistic Competence, Discourse Competence, Literary Competence, Language Education, Immersive LearningAbstract
This article review critically examines Sweetzel B. Barro-Punzalan’s study, Sociolinguistics, Discourse, and Literary Competences among English Language Studies Students, which investigates three essential aspects of communicative competence: sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and literary competence. The study employs a quantitative descriptive methodology to assess the proficiency of English Language Studies (ELS) students, surveying 146 participants on their language attitudes, social experience, coherence, cohesion, and literary text recognition. The findings indicate that while students exhibit strong attitudes toward the importance of English as a global language, their ability to apply sociolinguistic knowledge in social contexts remains moderate. In terms of discourse competence, students demonstrate proficiency in coherence and cohesion but face challenges in maintaining logical flow across extended texts. Literary competence reveals a gap, as students show moderate ability to critically engage with literary texts, suggesting the need for deeper analytical skills. The study’s reliance on self-reported data and its focus on a single institution introduce limitations regarding bias and generalizability. Despite these limitations, Barro-Punzalan’s study contributes significantly to the field of language education by highlighting areas of strength and weakness in communicative competence. The review offers practical recommendations, including immersive learning experiences, AI-mediated tools for feedback, and interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis. Additionally, it outlines future research directions, advocating for mixed-method studies, longitudinal tracking, and cross-institutional research. This review underscores the importance of integrating sociolinguistic, discourse, and literary competences into language curricula to enhance students' ability to communicate effectively in diverse contexts.
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