Integrating Language Skills through Ecosystem-Based Pedagogy in English Language Classroom

Abstract

The growing complexity of English Language Teaching (ELT) prioritises the integration of four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing within local, contextual, and ecologically relevant pedagogies. However, in developing countries, such as Nepal, the intersection of skills integration and eco-pedagogical systems remains underexplored. In this regard, this study critically examined the literature on ecosystem-based pedagogy and how it can support the integration of language skills in ELT classrooms. It further explored the key challenges and research gaps while implementing such pedagogy in English language teaching. This study collected and synthesized 66peer-reviewed articles, 3 books and 3 doctoral theses from databases including Scopus, Google Scholar and NepJOL using Boolean search strings combining the keywords, with thematic meta-synthesis led by the PRISMA 2020 framework. The findings demonstrate that language skills integration mostly enhances communicative competence, learners' autonomy and higher-order thinking by prioritising significant and authentic language use. It promotes language learning by engaging students in authentic social and ecological contexts. The synthesis also reveals that rigid curricula, a large number of students, limited local resources and inadequate teachers’ education programs limit the effective implementation of integrated pedagogy in ELT classrooms. Thus, ecosystem-based pedagogy emerges as a significant pedagogy for contemporary English language teaching. Moreover, this study emphasises the need for classroom-based contextual and empirical research for sustaining and verifying the skills integrated pedagogy in multilingual and local pedagogical contexts.