Open-access Teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding Linguistic Communication Skills: a case study

Abstract

Introduction.  Linguistic Communication Competence is distinguished by its cross-curricular nature, which makes it essential for academic success in any subject area and for the holistic development of students, a fact supported by Spain’s legal and regulatory framework for education. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding Linguistic Communication Competence.

Methodology.  A mixed-methods approach is applied through a case study involving 12 elementary school teachers, using a questionnaire on perceptions and practices.

Results.  Teachers recognize the cross-curricular nature of Linguistic Communication Competence, value its impact, and confirm the influence of reading comprehension across all disciplines.

Discussion.  There is evidence of the need to promote teaching practices that develop the four communication skills across all subject areas and foster deeper levels of reading comprehension.

Keywords
questionnaire; teachers; perception; practice.

Resumen

Introducción.  La Competencia en Comunicación Lingüística destaca por su carácter transversal que la hace esencial para el éxito académico en cualquier área y para el desarrollo integral del alumnado, algo que respalda el marco legal y normativo de educación en España. Por ello, el objetivo de la investigación es analizar las percepciones y prácticas docentes en relación con la Competencia en Comunicación Lingüística.

Metodología.  Se aplica un enfoque metodológico mixto mediante un estudio de caso con 12 docentes de Educación Primaria, empleando un cuestionario sobre percepciones y prácticas.

Resultados.  Los docentes reconocen la transversalidad de la Competencia en Comunicación Lingüística, valoran su impacto y confirman la influencia de la comprensión lectora en todas las disciplinas.

Discusión.  Se evidencia la necesidad de promover prácticas docentes que desarrollen las cuatro destrezas comunicativas desde todas las áreas de conocimiento y que desarrollen niveles más profundos de comprensión lectora.

Palabras clave
cuestionario; docentes; percepción; práctica.

Resumo

Introdução.  A Competência em Comunicação Linguística destaca-se por seu caráter transversal, o que a torna essencial para o sucesso acadêmico em qualquer área e para o desenvolvimento integral dos alunos, algo que é respaldado pelo marco legal e normativo da educação na Espanha. Por isso, o objetivo da pesquisa é analisar as percepções e práticas docentes em relação à Competência em Comunicação Linguística.

Metodologia.  Aplica-se uma abordagem metodológica mista por meio de um estudo de caso com 12 professores do Ensino Fundamental, utilizando um questionário sobre percepções e práticas.

Resultados.  Os professores reconhecem a transversalidade da Competência em Comunicação Linguística, avaliam seu impacto e confirmam a influência da compreensão de leitura em todas as disciplinas.

Discussão.  Evidencia-se a necessidade de promover práticas docentes que desenvolvam as quatro habilidades comunicativas em todas as áreas do conhecimento e que desenvolvam níveis mais profundos de compreensão de leitura.

Palavras-chave
questionário; professores; percepção; prática.

1 Introduction

Linguistic Communication Competence (LCC) is key to students’ successful performance in all areas of the curriculum, as its cross-curricular nature facilitates access to knowledge and other competencies. In this regard, the study by Romero and Trigo (2015) demonstrated a correlation between language development and academic success; thus, students who have mastered LCC will achieve better results in other subjects (Campollo-Urkiza; Cremades-Andreu, 2022).

For this reason, Spain’s legal and regulatory framework for education - as set forth in “Organic Law 3/2020, of December 29, amending Organic Law 2/2006, of May 3, on Education” (Lomloe, 2020) - emphasizes that “[…] los centros adoptarán las medidas necesarias para compensar las carencias que pudieran existir en la competencia en comunicación lingüística”4. Furthermore, this same law states that:

[…] las administraciones educativas aplicarán los instrumentos de control, evaluación y mejora propios del sistema educativo y promoverán la realización de análisis [...] de modo que se garantice que todo el alumnado alcance la competencia en comunicación lingüística.5

Furthermore, the Lomloe (2020), in Article 19, paragraph 2, mentions the need to develop communication skills, as it explicitly states that, “[…] sin perjuicio de su tratamiento específico en algunas de las áreas de la etapa, la comprensión lectora, la expresión oral y escrita [...] se trabajarán en todas las áreas”6.

Along the same lines, Royal Decree 157/2022, dated March 1, which establishes the framework and minimum curriculum standards for elementary education, defines LCC as the competency that enables “[...] interactuar de forma oral, escrita, signada o multimodal de manera coherente y adecuada en diferentes ámbitos y contextos y con distintos propósitos comunicativos”7. This competency involves drawing upon the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable students to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate messages. Furthermore, in line with what was mentioned earlier, this education law states that the CCL “[...] constituye la base para el pensamiento propio y para la construcción del conocimiento en todos los ámbitos del saber”8.

Andalusia’s regulatory framework, as set forth in Decree 101/2023 of May 9, which establishes the organizational structure and curriculum for the primary education stage in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, asserts that reading is key to developing all core competencies, and therefore, regardless of the subject area, activities and assignments aimed at developing reading comprehension must be included, and schools are required to set aside at least 30 minutes each day for reading.

In short, LCC is a key cross-cutting competency for academic success in all disciplines, as it enables students to communicate, represent, interpret, and understand reality (Jaén; Flores, 2020). In this regard, various studies support the idea that the development of communication skills contributes to learning in both linguistic and non-linguistic areas (Alvarado, 2023; Cordova-Ludeña et al., 2021; Domènech-Casal, 2019; Granda-Asencio, Ordoñez-Ocampos, and Aguirre-Labanda, 2023; Heredia-Ponce, Gutiérrez-Molero & Romero-Oliva, 2024).

In this context, it is essential that teachers receive the necessary training to develop CCL in their classrooms, and this training must begin at the university level, where pre-service teachers must acquire the pedagogical skills needed to develop cognitive-linguistic competence (Benoit-Ríos, 2025).

In light of the above, the study by Romero, Heredia-Ponce, and Rivera (2021) aimed to train pre-service teachers so that they would be able to develop their future students’ reading skills.

Furthermore, teaching practices need to be modified, as ongoing professional development is key to enabling teachers to foster their students’ critical thinking skills (González; Cutanda, 2017).

In short, both practicing teachers and those in initial teacher training must be able to support language development, and to this end, it is necessary to design training programs that provide guidance on the theoretical approaches and pedagogical principles that offer strategies for comprehensive language development (Carrillo et al., 2024).

Therefore, the general objective (GO) is to analyze teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding LCC. The following specific objectives (SO) are derived from this general objective:

  • SO1. To analyze teachers' perceptions of LCC as a cross-curricular competency.

  • SO2. To identify the positive and negative aspects of LCC as perceived by teachers.

  • SO3. Analyze how the four communication skills are addressed in the various curricular areas.

  • SO4. Determine the influence of students’ reading comprehension levels on their academic performance.

  • SO5. Identify the strategies used by teachers to develop reading comprehension.

2 Methodology

This research is conducted using a mixed-methods approach. On the one hand, a qualitative method is applied because, according to Rodríguez, Gil, and García (1999), it allows for the collection of subjective information from the written or oral expressions of the participants; on the other hand, a quantitative method is employed because it facilitates the achievement of the proposed objectives through the verification of hypotheses (Ugalde; Balbastre, 2013).

Within this framework, the study is structured as a case study. This design is common in the humanities because it allows for evidence-based decision-making (Ramírez-Sánchez; Rivas-Trujillo; Cardona-Londoño, 2019). In this regard, the case study allows for an in-depth analysis of a phenomenon through the systematic collection of data provided by the participants, which helps to validate, refine, and expand existing knowledge about the phenomenon under study (Rodríguez, Gil, & García, 1999).

2.1 Context and participants

With regard to the context, in line with the idea put forward by Rodríguez, Gil, and García (1999) of ensuring easy access, the research was conducted at a school in the province of Cádiz with the participation of 12 elementary school teachers, using non-probabilistic convenience sampling, which allows for access to the most accessible and suitable subjects (McMillan; Schumacher, 2005). To this end, permission was first requested from the school, and teachers were informed that participation was voluntary and anonymous, thereby complying with the ethical principles established in the Declaration of Helsinki.

2.2 Instrument

Finally, the data collection tool used was a questionnaire consisting of 37 open-ended and closed-ended questions distributed across five dimensions (1. Personal Data; 2. Project-Based Learning; 3. Linguistic Communication Competence; 4. Information and Communication Technologies; and 5. Mathematics Problems). However, for this specific study, only dimension 3, “Linguistic Communication Competence,” is analyzed. The items corresponding to this dimension (14-20) are as follows:

  • - I14. Do you consider the CCL to be cross-cutting?

  • - I15. Why?

  • - I16. Describe in your own words what the LCC brings to mind (positive aspects).

  • - I17. Describe in your own words what the CCL brings to mind (negative aspects).

  • - I18. Do you develop the four language skills in your subject area? Check the skills you work on in the subject you teach.

  • - I19. Have you noticed that some of the students' weaknesses in the subject you teach are due to a lack of reading comprehension?

  • - I20. If applicable, list some of the strategies you use to develop reading comprehension in the classroom. You may select more than one option..

3 Results and discussion

The following presents the results regarding teachers' perceptions and practices with respect to CCL.

First, 100% of teachers consider LCC to be a cross-curricular competency. Participants indicated that “[…] la comunicación es un aspecto presente en todas las disciplinas”9 (Informant 1). Informant 3 states that “[…] es necesaria para desarrollar aprendizajes en otras áreas”10. Furthermore, the cross-cutting nature of the LCC, is justified, “[…] porque se desarrolla desde diferentes áreas y su adquisición contribuye al desarrollo de las demás competencias”11 (Informant 6). Finally, Informant 12 states that “[…] es una competencia que está inmersa en todos los ámbitos de la vida”12.

In this regard, Figure 1 shows a word cloud depicting the positive aspects that the CCL brings to mind.

Figure 1
Positive Aspects of the CCL

This word cloud reflects a diverse and positive view of the CCL. Concepts such as “comprehension” and “expression” stand out, suggesting that teachers value the ability to understand and convey ideas. In addition, terms such as “communication,” “orality,” “dialogue,” and “interact,” indicating that LCC is perceived as a tool that facilitates social relationships and classroom participation-a finding consistent with previous research demonstrating the influence of language skills on students’ active participation in both society and school (Arteaga-Alcívar, 2023; Tomalá-Bernabé et al., 2025).

Similarly, it is important to highlight words related to personal and emotional development, such as “feelings,” “emotions,” and “creativity.” These concepts show that teachers view LCC as a means for students to express what they feel. Similarly, the scientific literature demonstrates the relationship between LCC and students’ emotional education through studies that foster creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence and competence using new methodologies geared toward the development of LCC (Cruz, 2014; Gómez, 2019; Llorent et al., 2020).

On the other hand, the concepts “thinking,” “critical,” “analysis,” and “learning” indicate that teachers consider CCL to be fundamental to students’ cognitive and academic development, as evidenced by the study by Ardila and López (2016), which links linguistic awareness to the development of cognitive-linguistic skills that form the basis of all learning.

In short, this concept conveys that LCC goes beyond communication skills, as it also plays a key role in social and personal development through creativity, critical thinking, and emotional expression. As for negative connotations associated with this competency, teachers believe there are none.

Figure 2 below outlines the communication skills addressed in the various subjects of the curriculum.

Figure 2
Relationship Between Curriculum Areas and Communication Skills

Figure 2 shows the percentage distribution of how the four communication skills are addressed, as reported by teachers of different academic subjects. First, a balanced distribution among the communication skills can be observed, as the values generally range from 21.1% to 33.3%. For example, in Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, all skills range from 21.1% to 31.6%, indicating that these skills are treated uniformly. Similarly, in Mathematics and First Foreign Language (English), the scores range from 21.1% to 29.6%.

In Spanish Language and Literature, reading comprehension stands out (28.6%), although there is no notable difference compared to the other skills, which account for 22.9% each in the case of written and oral expression. This is consistent with the research by Pérez (2013), which shows that teachers place greater emphasis on written skills, particularly reading comprehension. However, in the case of Arts Education (Music), listening comprehension stands out (66.7%), as it does in Digital Culture and Practice (48.9%).

With regard to expression, the scores tend to be lower, particularly in written expression (18.2%-22.9%), although there are some outliers, such as the fact that in Physical Education, 100% of the instruction focuses on written expression and 0% on other skills, or the absence of written expression in Religion, which suggests possible limitations related to the sample size.

In conclusion, scores tend to be lower in written expression, which may be due to the fact that, in the Lomloe (2020), it is the only skill not explicitly mentioned in the pedagogical principles, although, in general, communicative skills are treated similarly. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that, although 100% of teachers consider LCC to be a cross-curricular competency, not all of them address these skills in their respective subject areas.

Now, focusing on reading comprehension, Figure 3 shows the percentage of teachers who believe that students’ lack of proficiency in this area affects other subject areas.

Figure 3
Perceptions of Students’ Shortcomings Associated with Low Reading Comprehension

This figure shows that 91.7% of teachers believe that students are struggling in the subjects they teach due to their low level of reading comprehension. These results are consistent with research that supports the correlation between reading comprehension and academic success in subjects such as science, history, and mathematics (Alvarado, 2023; Granda-Asencio; Ordoñez-Ocampos; Aguirre-Labanda, 2023; Heredia-Ponce; Gutiérrez-Molero; Romero-Oliva, 2024; Mantilla-Falcón; Barrera-Erreyes, 2021).

With regard to teaching strategies for developing reading comprehension, Figure 4 shows which ones are used most frequently.

Figura 4
Estrategias docentes para el desarrollo de la comprensión lectora

Figure 4 shows that teachers prefer strategies focused on overall comprehension and the construction of meaning in the text, indicating that less importance is placed on strategies aimed at deeper levels of comprehension and interpretation and critical reflection.

First, the pre-reading strategies-such as approaching the text through motivation, focusing on the topic of the reading, summarizing the overall meaning and main idea of the text, and clarifying the text’s significance-are highlighted, as these strategies are used by 91.7% of teachers. In this regard, the results show that teachers prioritize a broad understanding of the text-that is, what it is about and its general meaning. With regard to strategies for approaching the text (before reading), these are considered essential, as they allow students to reflect on what the reading will be about based on the title, images, predictions of words that may appear in the text, and questions posed by the teacher, who plays a key role in making reading engaging and motivating for students (Cassany et al., 1994; Romero, 2009).

To a lesser extent, though still at high percentages, teachers use the strategy of extracting information from the text or analyzing secondary details (83.3%) and reflecting on the text’s content or focusing on reading skills themselves (75%). Thus, progress toward more analytical skills is evident, although there is still a greater focus on the explicit content of the text than on inferential skills. This may be because, although Spanish textbooks are, to some extent, moving beyond the tendency to focus solely on literal comprehension of texts, there are still areas that need improvement in terms of the interpretation and presentation of these texts (Sánchez-Hita, 2016).

Finally, the strategies least frequently used by teachers are those aimed at decoding (66.7%), reflecting on the text’s usefulness and its interdisciplinary and creative nature (66.7%), and interpreting the text’s content or making inferences (58.3%). Additionally, 8.3% indicate that they do not use any of the strategies listed.

In conclusion, the results suggest a preference for traditional reading comprehension strategies focused on decoding, identifying main ideas, and retrieving information, while strategies related to the interpretation and application of content are used less frequently in the classroom, suggesting the need to promote teaching practices that are effective in fostering deeper levels of reading comprehension.

5 Concluding remarks

The study has shown that teachers unanimously recognize the cross-curricular nature of LCC, considering it essential for learning in all subject areas and for the holistic development of students. As such, it stands out as a key tool for knowledge acquisition, social participation, and emotional and cognitive development.

As a result, teachers view this skill positively, emphasizing its value for understanding and expressing ideas and for developing critical thinking. They also attribute an emotional and creative dimension to it.

With regard to how these skills are addressed in the classroom, there is a relatively consistent integration across skills and subject areas, which confirms their cross-curricular nature. However, there appears to be a greater focus on reading comprehension and less emphasis on writing.

With regard to the influence of reading comprehension on students’ academic performance, 91.7% believe that a low level of this skill has a negative impact on learning in various subjects, which demonstrates teachers’ awareness of reading comprehension as the foundation for academic success.

However, with regard to teaching strategies for developing reading comprehension, there is a predominance of strategies aimed at overall text comprehension and the identification of explicit information. However, strategies aimed at analysis and reflection are incorporated to a lesser extent, while inference and the transfer of knowledge take a back seat, suggesting the need to apply strategies that promote higher levels of reading comprehension.

In conclusion, this research has helped shed light on teachers’ perspectives on LCC and the practices they use to develop reading comprehension. However, the results must be interpreted with an eye toward the study’s limitations, such as the small sample size-which prevents the findings from being generalized to other contexts-as well as the objectivity of the responses. Looking ahead, the plan is to increase the number of participants and the range of contexts, and to design teacher training programs that contribute to the development of CCL.

How to Cite This Article (ABNT):
GUTIÉRREZ-MOLERO, Salvador; PEREIRA, Daniervelin Renata Marques; HEREDIA-PONCE, Hugo. Teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding Linguistic Communication Skills: A case study. Educação & Formação, Fortaleza, v. 11, e17905, 2026. Available in: https://revistas.uece.br/index.php/redufor/article/view/e17905

Experts ad hoc: Mercedes Causse Cathcart and Daniel Ríos Muñoz

4

“[…] schools will take the necessary measures to address any deficiencies that may exist in students’ language communication skills.”

5

[…] educational authorities will implement the monitoring, assessment, and improvement tools specific to the education system and will promote the conduct of analyses [...] to ensure that all students achieve proficiency in linguistic communication.

6

“[…] without prejudice to their specific treatment in certain areas of this stage, reading comprehension, oral expression, and written expression [...] will be addressed in all areas.”

7

“[...] to interact orally, in writing, through sign language, or using multimodal means in a coherent and appropriate manner in different settings and contexts and for various communicative purposes”

8

“[...] it forms the basis for independent thinking and for the construction of knowledge in all fields of study.”

9

“[…] communication is an aspect found in all disciplines”

10

“[…] elle est nécessaire pour acquérir des connaissances dans d'autres domaines”

11

“[…] car elle s'acquiert à partir de différents domaines et son acquisition contribue au développement des autres compétences”

12

“[…] it is a skill that is present in all areas of life.”

Data Availability:

The research data are available in the body of the document.

References

Edited by

Editor-in-Chief: Lia Machado Fiuza Fialho

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    28 Aug 2026
  • Date of issue
    2026

History

  • Received
    06 Mar 2026
  • Accepted
    26 May 2026
  • Published
    07 July 2026
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