Despite increasing scholarship on learning-oriented assessment (LOA) and the promotion of LOA in various educational contexts, few studies have examined the challenges faced by language teachers while implementing LOA in authentic educational settings, especially an exam-dominant context that is deemed unconducive to LOA implementation (Carless,…

This 13-week study investigated changes in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' motivational states due to face-to-face inter-cultural and intra-cultural contact treatments in a Japanese EFL classroom. Drawing on the L2 motivational Self System and International Posture, this quasi-experimental study took the form of a between-groups…

This study investigates the combined effects of input enhancement and recasts on a group of Vietnamese EFL learners' performance of constructive criticism during peer review activities. Particularly, the study attempts to find out whether the instruction works for different aspects of pragmatic learning, including the learners' sociopragmatic and…

A decade ago, Klapper (2003: "Taking communication to task? A critical review of recent trends in language teaching", "The Language Learning Journal" 27: 33-42) created the opportunity to reflect on the assets and limitations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in comparison with more established communicative language…

Vision, that is, the mental representation of the sensory experience of a future goal state (involving imagination and imagery), is currently at the forefront of motivational innovation, and in recent years it has been seen increasingly more often in the motivational tool kit of practicing language teachers. Theories such as Dörnyei's L2…

Recent literature that examines the implementation of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in classroom settings has reported various challenges related to educational cultures, classroom management, teacher cognition and learner perceptions. To facilitate the smooth transition of TBLT from laboratory settings to classroom contexts, measures need…

Although pair and small group activities are commonly used in second language (L2) classrooms, there are very few studies which can inform teachers about whether it is best to have students work in pairs or in small groups. In this study, conducted in a junior high school in Indonesia with learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), we…

This study shows the impact and results of implementing three cognitive strategies in science teaching in English. The three-month study was carried out with 144 second grade students at a public school of Bogota's Bilingualism program, but only 40 students contributed in the data collection process. Data collected from observations and…

In a task-based approach to learning, learners will often meet new vocabulary "in passing" as they pursue communicative goals. Argues that such encounters can be turned to the learners' advantage and that rather than remove difficult words, teachers should consider a number of cooperative options for exposing learners to new words during…

The extent to which learners conform to the structure, aims and linguistic demands of a task is often seen as the responsibility of the materials writer and/or teacher. Given a logical rubric, well-designed task and clear classroom instructions, it is often assumed that the task will be approached as intended. When a task is enacted differently,…

In an increasing number of second language (L2) classrooms, teachers and researchers are taking on new roles and responsibilities. From these new perspectives, they are developing similar concerns about L2 learning processes, which they typically express in ways that reflect their different backgrounds and goals. To support learning, teaching, and…

Set in the context of Hong Kong's school curriculum reform initiative, which centers on development and implementation of task-based instruction, a study examined: (1) what teachers of English as a Second Language understand about language learning and what decisions they make when preparing a classroom task; (2) to what extent elementary and…

These six essays discuss the use of tasks as pedagogical tools in second language instruction, particularly in the contexts of curriculum and syllabus design. The essays are: (1) "Units of Analysis in Syllabus Design: The Case for Task" (Michael H. Long and Graham Crookes); (2) "Task-Based Syllabus Design: Selecting, Grading and Sequencing Tasks"…

This report describes a semester of teaching a group of non-native English-speaking students, aged 17 to 40 years and how the instructor identified three elements that appeared to be necessary for a task-based, advanced English speaking class. The three elements were: (1) ongoing needs assessment; (2) collaboration between instructor and students…

Describes a range of reading and writing tasks that were used in a first-year university classroom with a view to helping students better understand the concept of coherence, which is crucial to both reading and writing. The technique involves a range of reading-writing coherence awareness-raising tasks that shift students' attention from the low…