Volume 07 Issue 10 October 2024
Le Thi Hoa
Dai Nam University, Hanoi, Vietnam
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i10-66Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the effects of Task-Based Learning (TBL) on listening, speaking, and writing skills in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, with a focus on task complexity. Using a quasi-experimental design, 90 intermediate-level EFL students were divided into three groups: a control group receiving traditional grammar-based instruction, and two experimental groups taught using TBL with low and high-complexity tasks, respectively. Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure performance in listening, speaking, and writing skills. Data were analyzed using MANOVA to assess differences in skill development across groups. The findings revealed significant improvements in all three language skills in the TBL groups, with the high-complexity group showing the greatest gains. Listening comprehension improved by 17%, speaking proficiency by 21%, and writing coherence and accuracy by 16% in the high-complexity group, indicating that task complexity enhances cognitive engagement and language proficiency. The study highlights the effectiveness of TBL in fostering comprehensive language development and underscores the importance of incorporating tasks with varying levels of complexity in EFL instruction.
KEYWORDS:Task-Based Learning, EFL, Listening Skills, Speaking Skills, Writing Skills, Task Complexity, Language Proficiency, MANOVA, Language Instruction
REFERENCES1) Bygate, M. (2016). Sources, developments, and directions of task-based language teaching. The Language Learning Journal, 44(4), 381-400. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2016.1188231
2) Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
3) Ellis, R. (2009). The methodology of task-based teaching. In K. Van den Branden (Ed.), Task-based language education: From theory to practice (pp. 27-51). Cambridge University Press.
4) Krashen, S. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Longman.
5) Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). Academic Press.
6) Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
7) Rahimpour, M., & Narimani, M. (2010). The effects of task complexity on EFL learners’ written performance. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(5), 592-598.
8) Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge University Press.
9) Robinson, P. (2011). Task-based language learning: A review of issues. Language Learning, 61(Suppl. 1), 1-36.
10) Robinson, P. (2011). Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: Exploring interactions in a componential framework. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 49(1), 1-21.
11) Shehadeh, A. (2011). Effects and student perceptions of collaborative writing in L2. Journal of Second Language Writing, 20(4), 286-305.
12) Skehan, P. (2009). Second language task-based performance: Theory, research, and assessment. Routledge.
13) Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. C. M. (2012). Teaching and learning second language listening: Metacognition in action. Routledge.
14) Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press.
