Task-based language teaching: An empirical study of task transfer

Abstract

Since the 1980s, task-based language teaching (TBLT) has enjoyed considerable interest from researchers of second language acquisition (SLA), resulting in a growing body of empirical evidence to support how and to what extent this approach can promote language learning. Although transferability and generalizability are critical assumptions for TBLT, there is little empirical evidence that task-related language abilities are indeed transferable. The current study was conducted to address this need for empirical research on generalizability and transfer critical for the planning of teaching and assessment of learning by specifically investigating whether or not transfer occurs between two similar pedagogic tasks. Fifty-three randomly assigned low-level adult second language learners were trained in a computer lab to complete one of two pedagogic tasks or no task, after which all participants were tested on two transfer tasks. Although the results of a MANCOVA did not provide statistically significant evidence of transfer, a post hoc analysis on a subset of the lowest proficiency learners suggests that task-related language abilities are transferable. Directions for future research and implications for teaching and assessment are discussed in light of the present findings.

The role of task sequencing in fluency, accuracy, and complexity: Investigating the SSARC model of pedagogic task sequencing

“…Recent years have witnessed a surge in studies which set out to investigate the effects of task complexity in relation to three broad outcomes: production, typically conceived of as fluency, accuracy, and lexical and structural complexity (e.g. Ahmadian, 2012; Benson, 2015; Hsu, 2015; Ishikawa, 2011; Kormos & Trebits, 2011; Kuiken & Vedder, 2011; Lambert & Robinson, 2014; Michel, 2011), acquisition (the development of specific linguistic forms; e.g. Baralt, 2013, 2014; Kim & Taguchi, 2015; Kim & Tracy-Ventura, 2011; Kim, Payant, & Pearson, 2015; Levkina & Gilabert, 2014), and interaction (e.g.…”

Does Portfolio-Based Language Assessment Align with Learning-Oriented Assessment? Evidence from Literacy Learners and their Instructors

“…The PBLA protocol reflects a weak version of TBLT (East, 2015) in which tasks are central to language learning but may involve direct teaching of aspects of language ability outlined in the CLBs, as opposed to a strong version where task completion is all that is needed to promote language development. It is assumed that the instructional sequence outlined in the PBLA Guidelines will assist learners in transferring their learning from one task to the next despite the fact that research (e.g., Benson, 2016) suggests that carefully sequenced practice and multiple task trials are needed to promote task-related language transfer.…”

A Practical Tool for Evaluating the Potential of ESOL Textbooks to Promote Learning Transfer

“…The first mechanism is “the automatic triggering of well‐practiced routines in circumstances where there is considerable perceptual similarity to the original learning context” (Perkins & Salomon, , p. 25). For example, research in L2 education contexts suggests that transfer is influenced by amount of practice (e.g., Ahmadian, ; de Jong & Perfetti, ) and similarity between learning and transfer situations (e.g., Benson, ; James, , ; Spada, Jessup, Tomita, Suzuki, & Valeo, ). To promote transfer via this mechanism, several teaching techniques have been recommended (Fogarty et al., ) and found to predict transfer of L2 learning (Green, ); these techniques have been incorporated into the evaluation tool as follows:…”

“…Unfortunately, transfer is not an inevitable result of learning and can in fact be difficult to promote (see review by Day & Goldstone, ). In ESOL education, some learning outcomes may transfer less readily than others (James, ), and transfer may be infrequent (James, ) and less likely to occur across contexts that differ substantially (Benson, ; James, ). The elusive nature of transfer in ESOL education is reflected in Spack's () conclusion, after a longitudinal study of academic English literacy development, that “there is no guarantee that skills and strategies learned in an English as a second language (ESL) program actually will be applied in new situations” (p. 50), and in Tardy's () conclusion, after an extensive review of research on genre learning in L2 (and first language) contexts, that “transfer from one domain to another is, at the very least, difficult for learners” (p. 92).…”