Goal-achieving curricular are often coherent at their fundamental level. In order for a curriculum to achieve its goals, it is imperative that the curriculum is coherent at all levels. The contents presented in a curriculum must align with its theoretical underpinning. The present Malaysian English language curriculum is developed and designed based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine if the theoretical grounding of the Malaysian form five English language curriculum, in particular the speaking curriculum, is in alignment with its communicative label. In line with its label, the speaking curriculum embedded in the Malaysian form five English language curriculum should be developed and designed based on the CLT. It should reflect the CLT approach. The data for this study were collected from the Form Five English Language Curriculum Specifications document and the Form Five English Language textbook. In analyzing the alignment of the Malaysian form five English language speaking curriculum with the communicative approach, the data were categorized under major second language acquisition (SLA) theories and second language (L2) speaking theories. The findings show that the sociocognitive and socio-cultural theories are highly reflected in the Malaysian form five English Language speaking curriculum, the two theories which are closely related to the communicative approach. This shows that the Malaysian form five English language speaking curriculum is primarily in alignment with its communicative label. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications on English as a foreign language (EFL) speaking instruction.

' is a blueprint initiated by The Ministry of Education (MOE), Malaysia, currently launched in 2016. The key pledge to this blueprint is the alignment of Malaysia's English Language Education System with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). CEFR is a benchmark for an international standard that focuses on developing learners who are able to communicate and interact in any language, in this instance, English. The focal point of the Malaysian education reform is to adopt the CEFR levels as the guiding beacon or regulating framework for curriculum development, issues regarding learning materials and the measurement of learning outcomes. In keeping with this reform, the study aims to understand English language teachers' views on the English language proficiency courses in a local university, in Malaysia, based on CEFR scales. The study employs a quantitative approach, where surveys were distributed to twenty-five English language teachers. The data is then analysed quantitatively by frequency counts and percentage. Data shows there are variations in teachers' views towards English language proficiency courses, and this may not necessarily fit into the CEFR standards targeted for university learners. The result of this study acts as preliminary data for further research on the link between English language course content and CEFR standards, as well as expected English language proficiency of university learners. Through this study, it is hoped that future design of teaching and learning materials that contribute to 'proficient' learners at the end of university years, can be developed.

Over the past decades, much of the discussion regarding grammar teaching has evolved around the identification of the best language teaching approach to facilitate effective learning of English language among second language (L2) learners. Despite the various approaches introduced and implemented in the realm of L2 teaching, the language performances of these learners are still ‘off-target’ as they are still found not able to use the correct language expressions to serve their communicative needs. Investigation of the use of concepts in the learning and teaching of grammar may provide an alternative solution in enhancing learners’ L2 grammar competence. Known as Concept Based Instruction (CBI) this pedagogical approach that is predicated on Vygotskian thought, centres on promoting the quality of the grammar rules in helping learners to understand and use the grammar concepts to achieve their communicative needs. This article focuses on the principles found in CBI with the aim of exploring CBI’s potential and hence facilitate in-depth understanding of not only the structural forms but also the semantic meaning of the target language among L2 learners.

Purpose-This study investigated the use of metalanguage as a mediational tool in understanding targeted grammatical concepts from the perspective of the Sociocultural approach (SCT) in learning a second language (L2). Methodology-The participants involved in this study were Malay undergraduates with low to intermediate proficiency in L2 English. The protocols of learners' verbalisation during a Concept-Based Instruction (CBI) language task were analysed to explore how learners used metalanguage to mediate, facilitate and regulate their L2 learning. A microgenetic analysis was conducted to examine how metalanguage was used as a mediating tool by the learners in the actual L2 learning process. It involved an investigation of the language learning instances that occurred in their natural context. Analysis of the protocols was performed using 'Languaging Units' that were based on the 'Languaging Types Framework' proposed by Swain et al. (2009). Additionally, descriptive statistics were employed to measure the

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