TITLE:
Effects of a Task-Based Approach to Non-English-Majored Graduates’ Oral English Performance
AUTHORS:
Yougen Lou, Ping Chen, Liyou Chen
KEYWORDS:
Task-Based Language Teaching, Non-English-Majored Graduates, Oral Performance
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
22,
2016
ABSTRACT: The present study investigated the effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and learning on non-English-majored graduates’ oral performance through two tasks in a comparative way. There were 65 first-year non-English-majored graduates from Yangtze University participated in this study. In this study, the experimental group was treated under the task-based language teaching (TBLT) instruction and the control group received the treatment of 3Ps instruction through one semester. At the end of the semester, two tasks were used to elicit the participants’ performance. By comparing the experimental effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on non-English- majored graduates’ oral performance of accuracy, fluency and complexity with that of 3Ps instruction, results in this study showed that 1) under the task-based language teaching (TBLT) instruction, there was greater accuracy for non-English-majored graduates in oral English performance; 2) under the task-based language teaching (TBLT) conditions, there was greater fluency (fewer repetitions, fewer pauses) in oral English performance; 3) under the task-based language teaching (TBLT) instruction, there was greater complexity (a greater number of words per AS-unit.) in oral English performance. The author drew a conclusion that TBLT methodology was superior to that of 3Ps.