The Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching on Developing Speaking Skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL Students in Israel and Their Attitudes towards English
The Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching on Developing Speaking Skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL Students in Israel and Their Attitudes towards English
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Tareq Mitib Murad
Yarmouk University
Tareq, Mitib Murad. (2009). The Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on Developing Speaking Skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL Students in Israel and Their Attitudes towards English. Ph.D. Dissertation, Yarmouk University. (Supervisor: Professor Oqlah Smadi).
This objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a task-based language teaching program on developing the speaking skills of Palestinian secondary students and their attitudes towards English. The students were in the eleventh grade (second secondary grade) during a period of three months in which this study was conducted (JanuaryMarch) of the academic year 2008/2009.
The present study attempted to answer the following questions:
First, is there a statistically significant difference between the subjects’mean scores on the English speaking test due to the interaction between the teaching procedure (TBLT vs the conventional procedure) and subjects’ gender?
Second, is there a statistically significant difference between the subjects’ mean scores of the attitudes towards English due to the interaction between the teaching procedure and subjects’ gender?
The participants in the study are 91 eleventh grade students, 37 boys and 54 girls, from Bueina- Nujidat and Tamra High Schools. A task-based language teaching program was developed by the researcher for the experimental group.
The following instruments were used in this study:
1. A pre-test of speaking skills and post-test to measure the effect of the instructional program on developing the students’ oral social interaction. The test covered the dimensions of accuracy and fluency. A rubric for assessing the students’ oral social interaction was used to assess the students’ performance before and after implementing the designed program.
2. A task-based program: The researcher designed an instructional program based on TBLT principles and procedures.
3. An attitudinal questionnaire that consisted of four dimensions (developmental, instrumental, integrative and travel motivations). The questionnaire aimed at investigating the students’ attitudes before and after the implementation of the program.
The validity and reliability of the research instruments were validated. ANCOVA and MANCOVA were used to analyze the findings of the study. The findings of the study were the following:
Firstly, the TBLT program enhanced significantly the speaking skill of the students of the experimental group and positively affected their attitudes towards English. Secondly, the TBLT program improved the girls’ speaking skills more than the boys in the experimental group.
Based on the results of the current study, it is recommended that EFL teachers adopt the TBLT principles and procedures in their classroom practices. In addition, it is recommended that the English inspectors set up in-service and pre-service training programs to develop the Palestinian EFL teachers’ ability to use TBLT when designing and executing their lesson plans. Finally, the researcher recommended that curriculum designers incorporate TBLT principles and procedures in the students’ books and teachers’ guide
Category: Thesis
