task-based language teaching

The effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on reading comprehension of EAP students has not received due attention in the literature. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research examines whether TBLT improves reading comprehension more effectively compared to traditional English for academic purposes methodologies. In this study, a sample of 100 intermediate-level Iranian university students was selected through convenience sampling and randomly divided into four groups of 25 participants each (comprising two control groups and two experimental groups). The experimental groups, one in psychology and one in accounting, were instructed using TBLT, while the control groups, also in psychology and accounting, followed traditional EAP instruction as dictated by the curriculum and course instructor. Initially, all groups completed a piloted, researcher-developed reading comprehension pretest. In the experimental groups, the syllabus was co-constructed through negotiation, reflecting the students' needs and rights. In contrast, the control groups were taught using textbooks predetermined by the curriculum. Upon the completion of the treatment sessions, all participants took a posttest. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that TBLT significantly enhanced the reading comprehension skills of Iranian university students compared to traditional EAP methods. Additionally, the study found that the field of study did not influence the effectiveness of the instructional method (TBLT or EAP). These findings provide valuable insights for English for specific purposes (ESP) teachers and material developers, emphasizing the potential benefits of incorporating TBLT into EAP instruction.

This study investigated the effects of dialogic tasks on Iranian English as Foreign Language learners' autonomy considering the mediating effects of the learners’ gender and levels of proficiency as well. A total number of 213 male and female Iranian EFL learners within the age range of 15-26 were selected through convenience sampling from three language schools in Fars, Iran. The Oxford Quick Placement Test was run to ensure homogeneity, and choose learners at two levels of proficiency (upper vs. lower intermediate), later assigned to experimental and control groups. Then, a translated version of learner autonomy questionnaire was run as the pretest and posttest. The treatment was dialogic tasks operationalized through storytelling and picture description tasks. Three-way ANCOVA was conducted to compare the autonomy posttest scores of the male and female learners in the two experimental and control groups at the two proficiency levels of lower- and upper-intermediate. The results of data analysis showed that dialogic tasks had a significant effect on increasing the autonomy among EFL learners. Nonetheless, levels of proficiency and gender did not have any significant mediating effects on the autonomy of the learners under investigation. The study will provide robust implications for language teachers and learners.

In the increasingly interconnected world, English proficiency has become essential for developing technical skills and opening up global career opportunities. However, Iranian technical and vocational education (TVE) suffers from adequate attention to the English language for students’ specific fields of study and occupations. Accordingly, the present study aimed to bridge the existing gap in Iranian TVE through a comprehensive needs analysis and the development of a blended TBLT-based ESP course tailored to second-year vocational school students specializing in photography. Initially, needs analysis was conducted through interviews with TVE administrators at the Ministry of Education in Iran, experienced photography teachers, and photography students to develop the course. After the accurate investigation of fundamental course components, the course was implemented and its effectiveness and possible challenges were evaluated. The findings showed that photography students found the blended course effective in terms of learning photography terminology and tools in English, practicing photography and editing techniques, using multimedia and interactive games, and enhancing motivation and self-confidence. However, the students also encountered some linguistic and technological challenges. Ultimately, by contributing to the ongoing discourse on ESP course development, this study emphasizes the need for ESP courses and the preparation of students for future careers.

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and Automatic Corrective Feedback (ACF) are two pedagogical approaches that intersect in the realm of language learning and teaching. However, the integration of ACF into TBLT has not been thoroughly investigated, especially in second language writing. The current study, hence, was an attempt to explore the relationship between TBLT and ACF on the overall quality of L2 writing among a group of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, a number of 120 EFL learners were selected to participate in the study. The participants were subsequently allocated randomly into five groups: two control groups and three experimental groups. A preliminary writing assignment, serving as the pre-test, was administered to all groups. In this task, learners were instructed to rewrite the reading passage from unit 6A of the American File book, which was designated as a descriptive writing task. Subsequently, the participants received the required intervention over three sessions in the experimental groups. The distinctions among the experimental groups pertained to the types of task repetition employed. When needed, the participants sought assistance from Grammarly as an ACF. Participants in the control group did not experience any types of task repletion nor automated corrective feedback. Once the treatment sessions concluded, participants were administered the same pre-test as a post-test to gauge any alterations in the quality of their writing. Data analysis entailed a series of t-tests. Findings indicated that, on the whole, the three writing tasks accompanying ACF impacted the quality of writing among EFL learners similarly. Recommendations for future research were also put forward.

The present study attempted to investigate novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perceptions of the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching using the online tool of Shad in Iran. Forty male and female English teachers (20 Novice and 20 Experienced) teaching at Language institutes in Kermanshah, Iran, participated in this study. They were conveniently sampled. A mixed-method design, benefiting from a TBLT questionnaire along with interview sessions, was used to investigate the teachers’ attitudes towards the Shad platform in online classes regarding the implementation of task-based language teaching in online classes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the questionnaire to probe novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perceptions of the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching in these classes. Moreover, interview questions were also answered by the participants to obtain more insights into the Shad platform in online classes. The responses were analyzed qualitatively for the premier goal of this study. The findings indicated that participants generally had positive viewpoints regarding the use of computers which they believed to be of help to work more effectively with their students. They also had higher learning goals. EFL teachers and students had positive attitudes towards SHAD program as they believe that SHAD online education system constitutes a more relaxed and stress-free atmosphere. Hopefully, the findings would assist educational teachers, administrators, and academicians to better understand the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching in online Shad classes.

This study concerned with the effect of cooperative and paired-work task-based instructions on EFL learners’ speaking ability and willingness to communicate. To this end, sixty male intermediate learners in a language school participated in the experimental study for 12 sessions. The participants were assigned to cooperative group (N=30) and paired-work group (N=30). After making sure about the homogeneity of the two groups, WTC questionnaire and the PET speaking test were administered to both groups as a pretest. The instructions used in this study were all adapted from Task-based Language Teaching. At the end of the experiment, the same WTC questionnaire and the PET speaking test were again administered as the posttest. Then the researcher compared the results of pre-test and post-test scores to see whether the application of the tasks had affected the learners’ WTC and speaking ability. According to the statistical mean scores gained from pre and post test scores, it was found that not only cooperative and paired-work task-based instructions could both enhance the learners' speaking ability, but also their willingness to communicate was increased. Also, independent samples t-test revealed that cooperative task-based instruction is more effective than paired-work task-based instruction on enhancing Iranian EFL learners' willingness to communicate. Teacher and syllabus designers may benefit from the findings of this study. Teachers can develop group works to remove the learners' reluctance to participate in the speaking activities and syllabus designers can also focus on more motivational communicative tasks to enhance the pupils' chance of participation.

Pre-task planning has been extensively studied in task-based language teaching research, but a limited number of studies to date has explored the phenomenon through a sociocultural theory lens. In this article, we report on pre-task planning from a Vygotskian group-as-collective perspective by examining its mediational role during dynamic strategic interaction scenario tasks (DSISs) implemented in a first semester elementary-level US university Spanish classroom. DSISs involve pre-task planning, small group performances in front of the class, and post-task debriefings in which peer and instructor comments are immediately provided. Drawing on Vygotsky’s (1978) genetic method of analysis, we first show how turn-allocation emerged as an object of learning during the first debriefing, which was the result of pre-task planning and students’ observations following the first group performance. Second, we provide an account of the microgenesis of the debriefing observations through an analysis of planning tasks and the instructor’s framing and modeling of appropriate feedback, which we contend mediated students’ orientation to turn-allocation as a relevant learnable. In concluding, we discuss our findings, their research and pedagogical implications, and future directions for instructed research on L2 speaking development.

The present study attempted to investigate novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perceptions of the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching using the online tool of Shad in Iran. Forty male and female English teachers (20 Novice and 20 Experienced) teaching at Language institutes in Kermanshah, Iran, participated in this study. They were conveniently sampled. A mixed-method design, benefiting from a TBLT questionnaire along with interview sessions, was used to investigate the teachers’ attitudes towards the Shad platform in online classes regarding the implementation of task-based language teaching in online classes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the questionnaire to probe novice and experienced EFL teachers’ perceptions of the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching in these classes. Moreover, interview questions were also answered by the participants to obtain more insights into the Shad platform in online classes. The responses were analyzed qualitatively for the premier goal of this study. The findings indicated that participants generally had positive viewpoints regarding the use of computers which they believed to be of help to work more effectively with their students. They also had higher learning goals. EFL teachers and students had positive attitudes towards SHAD program as they believe that SHAD online education system constitutes a more relaxed and stress-free atmosphere. Hopefully, the findings would assist educational teachers, administrators, and academicians to better understand the inhibitors to the implementation of task-based language teaching in online Shad classes.

Teaching English in Iran faces challenges due to the environmental and interactive situations with which the language learners are facing outside the language learning classes. Considering the teaching methodology in Iranian schools and the insist of the governmental and private language institutes on CLT and TBLT, prerequisite conditions for effectiveness of such methodologies seem to be unavailable or not made available for the learners. CLT and TBLT methodologies mainly focus on speaking and oral activities in the classroom. In the domain of language learning and usage, speaking ability is considered as the most challenging among other three language abilities. Hence, an alternative approach for teaching and learning language seems to be needed. There are also criticisms on the mentioned methodologies; an important one among them is the increased amount of errors in learners’ oral utterances. On the other hand, critical thinking and figurative thinking abilities’ importance for using the language and the speaking ability is being focused and these thinking abilities are considered to have direct correlation with learners’ speaking abilities. Writing activities in different pedagogical areas are used to improve learners’ critical thinking, however utilizing such approach for learning language is a matter that is not studied. This research studies a teaching approach with a focus on written language and hoped to help learners figure out and understand language elements clearly, and use them to excel their speaking proficiency. This approach includes written tasks defined to help learners “see” the language elements and argue about them. The session plan is, to guide students learn the language via the written tasks and use what is learned orally in a similar context, based on Harmer’s ESA approach and TBLT methodology. In the end of the research, speaking achievement of the learners will be assessed to evaluate the teaching approach’s efficiency.

Task complexity has recently attracted great attention in second language (L2) studies. However, its potential impacts on learning transitional devices have not been considered. The current study was an attempt to analyze the impacts of manipulating task complexity conditions on EFL learners’ grammatical enhancement in terms of learning transitional devices through doing writing tasks. For this purpose, 75 intermediate EFL learners learning English in three English language institutes in Iran were randomly selected. They were assigned to four experimental groups and one control group (each with 15 participants). Each of the experimental groups was presented with a pretest, writing tasks, an immediate posttest and a delayed posttest. The participants took part in 9 sessions and in each session some transitional devices were introduced to the experimental groups with which they were supposed to write a paragraph based on a special topic using all those transitional devices. The different experimental groups received writing tasks with different complexity levels which were determined through the manipulation of factors including ± few elements and ± planning time. The participants in the control group just participated in a regular English class for 9 sessions without doing such tasks. The performances of all groups were analyzed, and the findings revealed statistically significant differences among the five groups in both the immediate posttest and the delayed posttest, after controlling for the effect of the pretest. The findings of the current study have practical implications for curriculum development and EFL writing instruction.

This study investigated the effects of dialogic tasks on Iranian English as Foreign Language learners' language learning anxiety considering the moderating effects of the learners’ gender and levels of proficiency as well. A total number of 213 male and female Iranian EFL learners within the age range of 15-19 were selected through convenience sampling from three language schools in Fars, Iran. Learners at two levels of proficiency (upper vs. lower intermediate), were chosen and assigned to experimental and control groups. Then, an adapted translated version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986) was run as a pretest and posttest to measure the learners’ anxiety. The treatment was dialogic tasks operationalized through sequencing picture stories. The results revealed that dialogic tasks exerted a significant effect on reducing Iranian EFL learners' anxiety. Moreover, it was discovered that upper-intermediate learners experienced lower levels of anxiety than their lower-intermediate counterparts. Finally, it was found that female learners in this study suffered from more anxiety levels than male learners. Although integrating dialogic tasks into classroom activities has proved to be beneficial as learners could experience sufficient opportunities for speaking, this task could not assist learners of different levels of proficiency and gender in the same way. These findings will provide practical implications for language teachers and learners.

Research on Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) has received much attention in language education in Vietnam. However, research on investigating perceptions of secondary school teachers towards TBLT implementation in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam is still scarce. The current study investigates secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ understandings of task concept and TBLT principles. It also explores teachers’ attitudes and concerns in implementing TBLT. Ninety-eight secondary school EFL teachers participated in the study. Framed by TBLT principles adapted from Nguyen, Jaspaert and Van den Branden (2018), a survey was used to collect quantitative data. The results indicated that the teachers generally had a high level of understanding of task concept and TBLT principles. In addition, they showed positive views on implementing TBLT in their practices. The results also addressed teachers’ concerns in implementing TBLT into their teaching practices including time constraints, the mismatch between the reform goals proposed by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and current teaching policies at the secondary school level as well as the large class size. Accordingly, insightful implications for a better TBLT implementation in Vietnam and similar contexts elsewhere have been taken into consideration.

In today’s world of education, a successful teacher can be assumed to be the one who benefits from Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), which demands consideration of teachers’ beliefs about tasks. The present paper takes into account developing a questionnaire regarding teachers’ beliefs about tasks. To this end, 300 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from Mazandaran province participated in the study. The raw items for the questionnaire were collected by randomly interviewing 15 participant teachers and the related literature on teacher cognition research on TBLT. Then the items were factor-analyzed to develop the final version of the Teachers’ Beliefs on Task Questionnaire (TBTQ). Employing Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) resulted in a six-factor structure including TBLT and teacher education, TBLT and the learners’ expectations, TBLT and challenges with Present-Practice-Produce (PPP) approach, TBLT and teachers' time limitations, TBLT and teachers’ characteristics, and the feasibility of TBLT resources. Findings revealed that although TBLT has been considered as an innovative approach due to its inspiration from Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), teachers’ attitudes towards TBLT implementation appear to have been taken for granted according to the components emerged from the factor analysis. It is suggested that TBTQ can be used in both foreign and second language contexts in order to identify different categories that can shape teachers’ beliefs about tasks and provide further pedagogical insights into designing and implementing tasks more effectively

Collaborative dialogue (CD) in developing L2 skills known as ‘knowledge-building dialogue’, in spite of its momentum in foreign language acquisition, has rarely been conjoined and empirically investigated with a Task-based approach. To this end, the present research was conducted with a two-fold aim firstly, investigating the effect of task-based collaborative dialogue on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ speaking ability, and secondly, exploring teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of the exercised treatment process. The participants of the study consisted of 100 Iranian B.A. TEFL and Translation Studies students were identified as relatively homogeneous with regard to their language proficiency through administering Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and ten Iranian EFL teachers. The experimental group was exposed to task-based collaborative dialogues, while the control group experienced conventional mainstream teaching the speaking skill. Upon completing the treatment, CD questionnaires were administered to the experimental group of learners and teachers to investigate their perceptions of implementing CDs in speaking classes. Subsequently, the teachers and 12 students from the experimental group attended the semi-structured interview sessions to explore their views regarding the efficiency of task-based CDs. The findings indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control one regarding speaking skill. The results of the questionnaires and the semi-structured interviews complemented each other and indicated that the teachers and the learners adopted positive views toward applying the task-based CD. The findings offer some implications for the stakeholders, including material developers, EFL learners, and teachers, to incorporate task-based collaborative dialogues in second language education.

The capacity to communicate in English expands opportunities for acquiring and enriching knowledge, extending social life, and interacting with more people from all over the world. However, due to a lack of expertise and confidence, students have difficulty expressing their ideas in the target language. The study aimed to ascertain EFL teachers' perceptions of the benefits and problems associated with enhancing students' speaking abilities through task-based language instruction (TBLT). The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach, involving an interview and the distribution of a questionnaire. The interview provided the primary data, while the questionnaire provided the secondary data. Ten English instructors from a school in North Sumatera were purposefully chosen for their experience utilizing TBLT to improve students' speaking abilities. The qualitative analysis of this study found that teachers had a favorable perception of TBLT implementation. They acknowledged that TBLT helps their teaching practice by encouraging students to engage in active practice and participation in completing communicative activities in the target language. However, difficulties arise in teachers' inventiveness in devising communicative assignments that match the students' requirements and expectations, given their diverse backgrounds and occupations.

Maximizing learning opportunities has long intrigued teaching practitioners and researchers. Therefore, a lot of studies have been conducted on different instructional methodologies to help language learners with utilizing their learning chances. The present comparative study aims at investigating the effects of two instructional procedures, namely Critical Pedagogy (CP) Based Teaching and Task- Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on oral proficiency and storytelling skills of the participants. Thus, 30 Iranian male EFL learners, who were all rated at A1 level on Quick Placement Test (Cambridge, 2001), were selected. All of the learners who aged from 13 to 15 years old were randomly assigned into two research groups of CP and TBLT through convenience and purposive sampling. Pretest/posttest research design was conducted to trace any significant effects of two instructional procedures on storytelling skills and oral proficiency level of the learners before and after 12 sessions of treatment in each research group. Although the results of independent t-tests and effect size indicated impact of each instruction type on learners’ storytelling skills and oral proficiency level, the results failed to show any significant difference between Critical Pedagogy Based Teaching and Task- Based Language Teaching. Implications of the study were also discussed further and suggestions for more research were proposed.

Although most EFL learners are equipped with a fair command of general English knowledge, they lack the sufficient proficiency required to communicate their thoughts and ideas fluently and accurately. This study was conducted to explore the impact of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on the development of EFL learners’ productive skills. The participants of this study were 25 undergraduate students majoring in English Language and Literature at a State University who had enrolled in a course entitled “Listening and Speaking (I).” The teaching method utilized for this course included three tasks (listening, writing, and speaking), and each task included three phases (pre-task, whilst-task, and post-task). For the purpose of data analysis, the researcher analyzed students’ four oral presentations and four writing assignments quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, an attitude questionnaire was administered and a semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit the participants’ attitudes regarding (TBLT). The findings revealed that all the students could significantly improve their productive skills. Correspondingly, the results of the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews revealed participants’ positive attitudes regarding (TBLT). Students realized that developing their speaking and writing skills was a complex process, and through practicing, they could overcome their problems and enhance their fluency and accuracy.

This study explored the impact of task complexity on task performance of Iranian lower-intermediate and advanced language learners. It also investigated how working memory was related to task performance and mediated the influence of complexity conditions on language performance. Task complexity was operationalized by designing differing tasks along the +/- reasoning and the +/- few elements dimensions. Eighty Iranian EFL learners (40 lower-intermediate and 40 advanced) carried out argumentative tasks which differed in complexity level. Working memory capacity was measured by applying the Persian translation of Wechsler's (1987) working memory test, and task performance was measured in terms of accuracy and fluency. The results revealed that for lower-intermediate learners, task complexity led to decrease in accuracy in the complex tasks, while fluency was boosted in simple task condition. For advanced learners, task complexity resulted in improved accuracy, while fluency decreased in complex condition. The results of multivariate analyses revealed that learners' language performance in the complex group significantly differed from that of the simple group on the combined dependent variables for both lower-intermediate and advanced learners. There was no significant correlation between working memory and any performance measures.