FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

COURSE: ACADEMIC WRITING

COURSE CODE: GENG101

FINAL EXAMINATION

STUDENT NAME: TRAN HOANG NAM

STUDENT CODE: 2240900004
CLASS: 21SNA21 + 22SNA11
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Lê Văn Tuyên
 INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS

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HCM CITY …………/……………/ 2022

SIGNATURE
Task 1 (3 marks)
Based on the topic that you have already selected, search 5 articles related to the topic.
Write a SUMMARY of each article, including title, aims, participants, site, and
instruments for collecting and analyzing data, results and implications (around 120-130
words for each summary). At the end of the section write the CONCLUSION for the 5
summaries, including the list of references.

One of the studies related to the effect of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on
the speaking skill was conducted by Pyun (2013). The author investigated the attitudes of
second- and foreign-language learners toward TBLT and the relationships between these
attitudes and chosen learner characteristics, namely anxiety, integrated motivation,
instrumental motivation, and self-efficacy. This attitudinal questionnaire study involved
91 college students who received task-based lessons in Korean as a foreign language.
Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. According to a
correlation study, students' attitudes regarding TBLT were positively associated with self-
efficacy and integrative motivation and adversely associated with anxiety. A multiple
regression analysis showed that the only significant predictor of how learners felt about
TBLT was their sense of self-efficacy.
Another study related to TBLT and the speaking skill was carried out by Nguyen
(2019). The study investigated how Ho Chi Minh City University of Sport EFL students
felt about TBLT and how it affected their speaking abilities. 59 freshmen who did not
major in English participated in the study. There were 29 participants in the control group
(CG), while the remaining participants were in the experimental group (EG). The study
concentrated on statistics and included an experimental design and a survey to determine
how TBLT influenced the participants' ability to speak English and how they felt about
the treatment, respectively. The author gathered data using a pre-test, a post-test, and a
questionnaire. It was discovered that TBLT improved the learners' grammar, vocabulary,
pronunciation, and interaction skills in the EG. Nevertheless, TBLT exhibited distinct
effects on each of these regions. The approach had the greatest impact on the learners'
conversational skills, but their grammar and vocabulary remained relatively unchanged.
When asked how they felt about the used method, respondents were overwhelmingly
favorable about TBLT and how it helped them enhance their speaking skills. Students
believed that this approach would assist them in enhancing their English-speaking
abilities. This study demonstrated once again that TBLT is an effective method of
instruction, both in terms of how effectively students speak and how they feel about
learning.
Waluyo (2019) aimed to add to the actual classroom practice of TBLT. It provides
theme-based role-play as an alternate method for enhancing the communicative ability of
EFL students in the task-based approach. This study investigates the development of 782
students' theme-based role-play performances over the course of 12 weeks and assesses
the impact on student performance on the final speaking exam. The results of this study
demonstrate the advantages of adopting theme-based role-play to enhance the
communicative ability of language learners. This study, however, investigated the
development of students' communicative competence in two parts: students' performances
across the four role-plays and students' performances during the final speaking test, an
individual interview. In addition to technical factors such as content, presentation,
readiness, prompts, inventiveness, and vocal expression, as previously indicated, the
assessment rubrics also evaluate vocabulary use, fluency, and accuracy. Although theme-
based role-plays are essentially artificial and planned activities, these considerations were
taken into account to ensure that students still gain the knowledge and experience
necessary for communicating in specific contexts, such as at the airport, in a restaurant, or
while studying abroad.
Ngoc and Anh (2021) evaluated the efficacy of TBLT on speaking ability as well
as the students' attitudes regarding its application. With the assistance of five teachers
serving as examiners and observers, the researcher utilized an action study design in ninth
grade classes at a lower secondary school. Using an integrated mixed-methods approach,
this study collected quantitative data via a speaking test and qualitative data via an
interview, an observation checklist, and a questionnaire. The results of the study indicated
that TBLT had a significant impact on students' speaking abilities. In addition, students'
enthusiasm, curiosity, self-assurance, creativity, and collaborative learning skills
improved throughout the duration of their speaking lessons. Teachers can incorporate the
task-based lessons into their speaking courses and use it as a useful tool to improve their
students' discourse. In addition to other strategies, it is essential to place students in
authentic speaking settings on a regular basis so that they become comfortable with real-
world communication.
Hassan (2021) focused on the implementation of TBLT, specifically within the
context of the national English program named LINUS. Specifically, the purpose of the
study is to investigate the English-speaking abilities of primary school students and to
measure the level of their progress after receiving task-based instruction. This study
adopted a quasi-experimental design and employed English-speaking tests as data
collection tools. Purposive sampling was used to acquire data from a sample of 30 first-
year students at a national primary school. The findings revealed that the majority of
students scored higher on the post-test than on the pre-test. Further investigation
demonstrated that TBLT within the LINUS curriculum greatly improves students' English
speaking proficiency. Moreover, TBLT affords students the opportunity to connect with
peers and teachers and to build their self-confidence, which in turn facilitates the
acquisition of language skills.
In conclusion, TBLT has drawn a lot of interest from researchers across the globe,
particularly in Vietnam. The majority of research has discovered that TBLT is an
effective approach for teaching English that helps students gain more confidence when
speaking. On the one hand, the benefits of this approach have been highlighted by
experimental investigations on the effects of TBLT. On the other hand, speaking ability-
focused empirical investigations into TBLT were generally lacking. First and foremost,
the results of most research are less reliable since they cannot totally rule out all
confounding variables. Then, each researcher employed a different set of assessment
standards that they had modified from various previous frameworks. It is essential to
employ frameworks with high standards in order to conduct an accurate and helpful
assessment. The extent to which TBLT impacts fundamental parts of speaking ability,
particularly the interaction that is a critical component of TBLT practice, for a more
appropriate use of this approach, has barely ever been specifically examined in research.
Finally, very little study has examined learners' attitudes toward TBLT and its application
for improving English speaking skills. In order to accurately reflect the effects of TBLT
on learners' skills and their attitudes toward the treatment, these gaps in the literature
should be filled by utilizing a quasi-experimental design, semi-structured interviews, and
the think-aloud approach.

List of References
Hassan, I. (2021). Development of English speaking skills through task-based
learning among primary school students in Malaysia. Theory and Practice in
Language Studies, 11(11), 1499-1506. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1111.20
Ngoc, P. N. B.,& Anh, T. V. (2021). Using task-based approach to improve the 9th
graders’ speaking skills at a secondary school in Ho Chi Minh city [Paper
presentation]. AsiaCALL. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211224.009
Pyun, D. O. (2013). Attitudes toward task-based language learning: A study of college
Korean language learners. Foreign Language Annals, 46(1), 108-121. DOI:
10.1111/flan.12015
Tran, T. N. (2019). The effects of task-based language teaching on EFL learners’
speaking skill at Ho Chi Minh City University of Sport [Unpublished
master’s thesis]. Ho Chi Minh City Open University.
Waluyo, B. (2019). Task-based language teaching and theme-based role-play:
Developing EFL learners’ communicative competence. Electronic Journal of
Foreign Language Teaching, 16(1), 153-168.

Task 2: Write “Statement of the Problem”, “Aim and Objectives” and “Research
questions” for the Topic you have already selected (4 marks)

Selected topic title:

The impact of task-based language teaching on EFL learners’ speaking skill

Statement of the problem:

First and foremost, insufficient teaching materials and effective instructional
methods reveal shortcomings in the teaching and learning of English for communication,
especially the speaking skills, at various language schools and educational institutes (Phan
Le Hai Ngan, 2017). Second, the inherent teacher-centeredness in the classroom has led
students to passivity and a lack of enthusiasm in English speaking activities since they are
forced to play a passive role in their learning (Nguyen Thi Mai Huong & Hall, 2016). For
this reason, Dörnyei (2001) claimed that even students with the finest abilities who lack
motivation for language learning will fail as language learners. In a similar vein, Le Do
Ngoc Hang (2013) said, "Teachers’ lecturing time, mainly used in the traditional
classroom, is one of the demotivating factors affecting students’ language acquisition and
learning motivation" (p. 3).
Most traditional English schools in Vietnam focus on understanding different pieces
of grammar and practicing through supervised exercises in order to perfect grammatical
accuracy, rather than fluency, which is one factor that helps students communicate in
English. Students are well-known for their ability to produce grammatically accurate
sentences, but they are unable to use them effectively outside of the classroom due to a
lack of fluency in their language studies. In other words, they perceive the rules of
linguistic usage very well but are unable to use the language naturally. In this way,
learners are passive listeners, and learning is viewed as a passive process of absorbing
information transmitted by a teacher (Tran Kim Hien, 2009; Le Do Ngoc Hang, 2013;
Nguyen Thi Hong Tham, 2019; Vu Thi Hue, 2020).
Although most Vietnamese students got to know English for the first time since they
were in lower secondary schools, they still cannot communicate effectively in the
intervening years (Le Van Canh, 1999). In addition, Nguyen Hai Long (2012) argued that
the use of grammar contributes little to the development of learners' speaking ability.
Most recently, Hoang Van Van (2018) stated that although multiple textbooks are
utilized, they are predominantly grammar-based, with the belief that grammar can be
taught systematically as a set of principles to be acquired and translated to proficient
language use by the student.
The situation necessitates the introduction of new teaching methods to EFL students,
specifically students at a language center in this study, in order to find solutions to the two
main problems outlined above, namely inadequate speaking ability and negative attitudes
toward learning. If this is the case, task-based language teaching (TBLT) is an effective
alternative method that has been supported for a long time by numerous linguists and
theorists, as well as numerous previous studies in and outside of Vietnam, especially in
Asian nations, demonstrating the positive impact of TBLT such as South Korea (Choi,
2007), Vietnam (Nguyen Thi Bao Trang, 2013), China (Liao, 2014).

Aim and objectives

This study aims to investigate the impact of using TBLT on EFL learners’ speaking
skill and their changes in learning attitudes. The specific objectives are as follows,
 To investigate the actual practices of TBLT application in English language classes
in developing teenage learners’ speaking skill at a language center.
 To explore teenage learners’ attitudes towards TBLT in application to their actual
practices.
  To offer some possible suggestions on not only how to improve their speaking skill
but also boost their motivation in learning.

Research questions
The purpose of the following questions is to explore the influence that adopting
TBLT has had on the speaking ability of EFL learners as well as the changes in their
attitudes toward learning. The research questions are as follows,
1. To what extent does TBLT develop learners’ speaking skill in terms of accuracy
and fluency?
2. What are learners’ attitudes towards their learning after the treatment?

List of References
Choi, Y. H. (2007). The history and the policy of English language education in Korea. In
Y. H. Choi & B. Spolsky (Eds.), English education in Asia: History and policies,
33–66. Asia TEFL.
Dornyei, Z. (1997). Motivational factors in the second language attainment: A review of
research in Hungary. Acta Linguistica Hungraia, 44(1), 261-275.
Hoang, V. V. (2018). The Current Situation and Issues of the Teaching of English in
Vietnam, 22, 7-18.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326718789_The_Current_Situation
_and_Issues_of_the_Teaching_of_English_in_Vietnam
Le, D. N. H. (2013). The impact of task-based language teaching on learners' oral
communication performance: An experimental study at VUS [Master thesis,
Open University]. Open University Research Repository.
https://thuvien.ou.edu.vn/module/ebook-reader?fileId=3772
Le, V. C. (1999). Language & Vietnamese Pedagogical Contexts. Bangkok.
Liao, X. (2004). The need for communicative language teaching in China. ELT
Journal, 58, 270–273.
Nguyen, H. L. (2012). The impacts of task-based speaking activities on English-major
freshmen’s oral performance at Ba Ria Vung Tau teacher training college [Master
thesis, Open University]. Open University Research Repository.
https://thuvien.ou.edu.vn/module/ebook-reader?fileId=7351
Nguyen, H. M.,& Hall, C. (2016). Changing views of teachers and teaching in
Vietnam. Teaching Education, 28(3), 244-256. DOI:
10.1080/10476210.2016.1252742
Nguyen, T. B. T. (2013). Tasks in action in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms: The
role of rehearsal and performance in teaching and learning through oral tasks
[Doctoral dissertation, Victoria University]. Victory University Research
Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/3111
Nguyen, T. H. T. (2019). The impact of task-based language teaching on grammar
learning at Long Thuong high school [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Ho Chi Minh
City Open University.
Phan, L. H. N. (2017). Challenges/constraints in teaching today’s English in
Vietnam: Teachers’ voices [Paper presentation]. 8th Annual International
Conference on TESOL, SEAMEO RETRACT, HCMC, Vietnam.
https://www.vnseameo.org/TESOLConference2017/materials/21_PHAN%20
Le%20hai%20Ngan_CHALLENGES_CONSTRAINTS.pdf
Tran, K. H. (2009). Motivating non-English major students at Ho Chi Minh City
University of Industry through task-based reading activities [Master thesis, Open
University]. Open University Research Repository.
https://thuvien.ou.edu.vn/module/ebook-reader?fileId=180
Vu, T. H. (2020). The investigation into the effect of task-based speaking instructions on
the eighth learners’ learning attitudes at Huynh Van Nghe school [Unpublished
master’s thesis]. Ho Chi Minh City Open University.
Task 3 (3 marks)
Based on the selected topic, write the literature of ONE SUBSECTION which will be
included in the Section of “Literature Review” of the proposal, including the list of
references (at least one page long).

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This section examines the relevant literature. It is divided into five main sections.
The first section examines the theoretical framework, which serves as a guide for laying
the groundwork for TBLT implementation in relation to the speaking skill. The second
section defines the notion of tasks. The third section discusses how TBLT improves
learners' speaking skill and attitudes. The fourth section describes how to apply TBLT to
improve the speaking skill. The fifth section summarizes previous research on the subject.

2.1. A rationale for TBLT

In general, TBLT is not just something that gets very strong support from some
prominent Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theorists such as Long (1989), Willis
(1996), Skehan (1998), Ellis (2003), and Nunan (2004), but something that is derived
from well-accepted educational theories. More specifically, second language acquisition
research and the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) movement, which took place
in the late 1970s and 1980s, are two sources of information that have influenced the
creation of TBLT.
The best definition of TBLT, according to some, is to contrast it with the more
traditional teaching approaches in which natural abilities, as in TBLT, are contrasted with
whatever is systematically taught; subconscious acquisition of the spoken language versus
conscious learning of the development of literacy; incidental learning where language is
learned by doing versus intentional learning where language is regurgitated; language as a
meaning-making tool with a focus on meaning versus language as an object with a focus
on form; interactional competence where language is used spontaneously, which involves
the kind of language that language learners would naturally surround target or real-life
tasks, versus linguistic competence where language is planned to be used.
Moreover, TBLT falls into the analytic syllabus synchronized with the strong CLT
approach, where language instruction is learner-centered and students use the language to
learn it, as opposed to the synthetic syllabus synchronized with the weak CLT approach,
where language instruction is teacher-led and students learn the language to use it. More
importantly, TBLT begins with roughly-tuned input that aids acquisition in the sense that
the learning is process-focused, as opposed to finely-tuned input that does not aid any
acquisition in the sense that the learning is product-focused. Thus, TBLT can be regarded
as a movement.
It is perhaps not surprising that one of the most common misconceptions about
TBLT is that it involves putting learners into pairs or groups in order to perform
productive skills (Ellis, 2003). To be precise, TBLT can also involve input-based tasks,
that is to say, tasks that require learners to listen to input and process the input in order to
achieve some type of outcome. TBLT needs to be viewed as an approach to developing
all four language skills, not just the speaking skill. Next, TBLT does not necessarily
involve putting learners into groups; it also involves teacher-class participatory structures
where a teacher is doing a task with all the students. Last but not least, TBLT does not
really involve any attention to linguistic form, and that really is a complete
misunderstanding because when tasks are being performed, there are all kinds of ways in
which learners can be induced to pay attention to a specific linguistic form, and this is
true whether focused tasks or unfocused tasks, terms coined by Ellis (2019), are
mentioned. One of the main ways in which focus on form takes place is through
corrective feedback using recasts.
Tasks are seen to stimulate the negotiation, modification, rephrasing, and
experimentation processes that are central to second language learning. Engaging learners
in task activities creates a more conducive environment for activating learner acquisition
processes. Instead of a theory of how language works, TBLT is based on a theory of how
people learn to speak. The key assumptions of TBLT are summarized by Feez (1998: 17,
as cited in Richards & Rodgers, 2001: 224) as:
 The focus of instruction is on process rather than product.
 Basic elements are purposeful activities and tasks that emphasize communication
and meaning.
 Learners learn language by interacting communicatively and purposefully while
engaged in meaningful activities and tasks.
 Activities and tasks can be either:
- those that learners might need to achieve in real life;
- those that have a pedagogical purpose specific to the classroom.
 Activities and tasks of a task-based syllabus can be sequenced according to
difficulty.
 The difficulty of a task depends on a range of factors including the previous
experience of the learner, the complexity of the tasks, and the degree of support
available.

List of References (Books)

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language teaching. Oxford.
Ellis, R. (2019). Task-based language teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge
University Press.
Long, M. (1989). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. John
Wileys and Sons.
Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching.
Cambridge University Press.
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Longman.