Exploring the Perceptions of Moroccan EFL Teachers Towards Task-Based Language Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/itj.v3i1.1806Keywords:
EFL teachers, Task-Based Language Learning (TBLL), task, EnglishAbstract
Moroccan students do not have many opportunities to use English outside the classroom setting. The adoption of task-based language learning (TBLL) is deemed to be an appropriate language instructional method for the Moroccan EFL context. Hence, teachers are explicitly urged in the official Moroccan English language guidelines documents to adopt tasks in their teaching practices. However, no known empirical research has been conducted to investigate teachers’ perceptions and use of TBLL. To fill this gap, this study attempted to investigate high school EFL instructors’ familiarity with TBLL and their views on the use of tasks in their classrooms. An online survey provided quantitative data from 90 participants. Results showed that although Moroccan EFL teachers have a good understanding of the key concepts of this approach, their use of tasks is limited. Lack of task-based materials, large class sizes, and students’ use of their mother tongue to complete the task are identified as the main obstacles facing a high level of use of tasks in teachers’ classroom practices. Several implications for the successful integration of TBLL in the Moroccan EFL context are suggested at the end of the article.
References
Brown, H. D. (2006). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. White Plains, N.Y: Pearson Education.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (2015). The importance of focus on form in communicative language teaching. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(2),1-12.
Gray, D. E. (2004). Doing Research in the Real World. London: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Jeon, I. J., & Hahn, J.W. (2006). Exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions of task-based language teaching: A case study of Korean secondary school classroom practice. Asian EFL Journal, 8(1), 123–143.
Jordan, G. (2004). Theory construction in second language acquisition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2006). How Languages Are Learned (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Littlewood, W. T. (2004). The task-based approach: Some questions and suggestions. ELT Journal, 58(4), 319–326. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/58.4.319.
Liu, Y., Mishan, F., & Chambers, A. (2018). Investigating EFL teachers’ perceptions of task-based language teaching in higher education in China. The Language Learning Journal, 1–16.
Long, M. H. (1983). Native speaker/non-native speaker conversation and the negotiation of comprehensible input. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 126–141. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.2.126
McDonough, K., & Chaikitmongkol, W. (2007). Teachers’ and learners’ reactions to a task-based EFL course in Thailand. TESOL Quarterly, 41(1), 107–132.
MoE. (2007). English Language Guidelines for Secondary Schools: Common Core, First Year, and Second Year Baccalaureate. Available at http://www.zenglish.co.uk/2018/12/english-language-guidelines-for.html [Verified 10 February 2021]
MoE. (2009). Pedagogical guidelines for middle school. Available at http://www.zenglish.co.uk/2018/12/pedagogical-guidelines-for-middle.html [Verified 10 February 2021]
Nunan, D. (1991). Communicative Tasks and the Language Curriculum. TESOL Quarterly, 25(2), 279–295. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587464
Nunan, D. (2004). Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Raya, M. J. (2009). Task-Based Language Learning: An Interview with Rod Ellis. GRETA Journal. Available at https://www.academia.edu/5028444/Task_Based_Language_Learning_An_Interview_with_Rod_Ellis [Verified 03 February 2021]
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Skehan, P. (1996). A Framework for the Implementation of Task-based Instruction. Applied Linguistics, 17(1), 38–62. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/17.1.38
Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2001). Task-based language learning. In D. Carter & D. Nunan (Eds.), The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Willis, J. (2004). Perspectives on task-based instruction: Understanding our practices, acknowledging different practices. In B. L. Leaver & J. Willis (Eds.), Task-based instruction in Foreign Language Education: Practices and programs (pp. 3–46). Georgetown University Press.
Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-based Learning. London: Longman.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
