From tasks to talk: The impact of task-based language teaching on EFL speaking ability

Abstract

The aims at establishing whether task-driven instruction really promotes a great deal of performance in speaking than the traditional teacher-oriented techniques. Considering a quasi-experimental design, two categories of intermediate EFL learners (experimental and control) were engaged in the process of instruction in the period of ten weeks. Standard oral proficiency scales, to which learners were subjected to assess the pre- and post-testing of speaking performance, were complemented with learner questionnaires and classroom observations to triple-test the results. The results are probably that students who are exposed to TBLT have higher levels of fluency and communicative confidence, though average levels of accuracy. Qualitative feedback- There is increased participation, motivation, and the desire to speak English. Nonetheless, the outcomes can show that there is variation based on the complexity of the tasks and the initial levels of the learners. In the proposed study, the pedagogical importance of TBLT on the development of genuine communicative competence among EFL learners is highlighted. It proposes the application of task-based methods in regular programs of curriculum teaching and teacher training, in order to balance the instruction of the form and meaning.