<![CDATA[The purpose of this research is to explore English teachers’ perceptions of teaching strategies and instructional practices in developing students’ communicative competence. The research employed a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations involving seven English teachers from two public junior high schools in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency. The data were analyzed thematically using method triangulation to ensure validity. The results revealed that 71.43% of teachers perceived communicative competence as the ability to use English in real-life contexts. Meanwhile, 14.29% held a balanced view between communicative and grammatical aspects, and another 14.29% still emphasized grammatical accuracy. However, among the 13 observed teaching practices, only 38.46% involved group discussions or pair work, 30.77% used role-play or real-life simulations, 15.38% applied storytelling or presentations, and 15.38% still implemented grammar-based approaches. These findings indicate a gap between teachers' perceptions and their actual classroom practices. Although the teachers demonstrated a strong understanding of the importance of communicative approaches, their implementation remains limited due to structural and pedagogical constraints. It can be concluded that while most teachers show positive perceptions toward communicative teaching strategies, their classroom application is not yet optimal.]]>
