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Table of Contents
Vol. 2 , No.1, January 2017
Understanding the EFL Lecturers' Beliefs about Their Professional Learning from
p 30-43 The Lens of Malcolm Knowles Theory of Andragogy
Eko Purwanti; Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Submission Guidelines
a. Articles should be original, has never been Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The
published elsewhere, and/or has been sent to development of higher psychological processes.
other publications. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lantolf , J., & Thorne, S. L. (2007). Sociocultural
b. Full-length articles should be between 4,500 - theory and second language learning.
6,000 words including references. In B. van Patten, & J. Williams, Theories in
second language acquisition (pp. 201-224).
c. Abstracts should not exceed 200 words. The Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
abstract includes keywords.
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ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the effect of task-based learning implementation to enhance
students' communicative skills. A one-group pretest-post-test experimental design was
conducted with 37 rst-year students as the participants. Video-making was selected as the
assigned task. The outcomes were two short videos on the assigned topics. The results reveal that
before the treatment, the students' communication skill was moderate (mean= 13.11), while after
one-semester-length implementation, their skill increased and was categorized as high (15.45).
Furthermore, there was a signicant difference on students' communicative skill before and after
the treatment (t-value > t-table = 5.585 > 2.021). It implies that the task-based learning through
video-making task signicantly enhanced students' communicative skills. Finally, some
implications for language learning regarding the results of the study were also presented.
BACKGROUND
Being urged by educational and providing a variety of practical English
technological changes, English teachers need activities and tasks that can be applied in the
to carefully consider the following aspects of real-life communication contexts. Finally, it is
classroom instruction. The rst aspect is signicant to implement appropriate teaching
creating students' friendly learning environ- media in terms of technology so that students'
ments which can minimize students' anxiety motivation and interest in learning English
to communicate in English and which can can be facilitated (Brown, 2000; Richards &
stimulate students to actively participate in Rodgers, 2001).
the classroom discussion. The next aspect is
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
Regarding the above aspects, there is a need to students' role from mere consumers to producers
develop what Hymes (1971) in Savignon (1997) by the technological advancement. Thirty-seven
referred to as 'communicative skill' which refers to rst-year students from a private Islamic
the ability in using a language for communication university in Yogyakarta majoring in English
purposes in a certain context. Education Department participated in this study.
Some educational experts have pointed out The study was conducted in one of the speaking
the importance of adapting communicative skills courses offered by the department. Accordingly,
in language learning for preparing students to the research questions are as follows:
communicate well in a working eld. It is 1. How is the students' communicative skill
communicative skill addressed by Skehan (2003) before and after the implementation of task-
which has an essential role to enhance one's based learning?
success in learning and using the language to cope 2. Does task-based learning give statistically
with the working demands. In addition, Richards signicant difference on students'
(2006) asserted that communicative skill enables communicative skill before and after its
students to use the language properly for different implementation?
purposes and functions, including the
interlocutors, settings, and the degree of formality LITERATURE REVIEW
as well. To be able to communicate well, students
This study employs task-based learning as need to possess communicative skills.
an effort to improve students' communicative skill Communicative skill refers to the ability of using
in a speaking class. Communicative task facilitates a language to convey and exchange ideas (Sato &
students to collaborate on activities which are Kleinsasser, 1999). Furthermore, Sullivan (2000)
authentic and appropriate to the real-life dened communicative skill as the ability an
communication contexts where students can use individual show to effectively communicate with
their individual learning styles. Besides, a task others. The communicative skill is, further he
allows students to creatively express their asserted, set of skills through the use of either
thought. A task also inuences students' language oral language or written language that enable
acquisition as when it is done in group or in pair students to convey information so that it is
in which interaction occurs, students can received and understood. In a broader sense,
cooperate to use English for communication communicative skill is the ability of students
(Harmer, 2007). Furthermore, when enjoyable either spoken or written to interact with other
learning environment is generated and the speakers and make meaning.
language acquisition can be facilitated, learners' In the application, communicative skill
communicative skills can be promoted. has certain characteristics. Richards and Rodgers
In consideration to the background and (2001) argued that communicative skill is
review of related literature, the investigation over considered more important than grammar
the implementation of interactive teaching mastery. It is based on the beliefs that a student
techniques into language instruction, thus, learns a language best through communicating in
becomes indispensable. This study focuses on the it and through several activities which are
communicative skill which refers to the ability in meaningful and involve real communication.
using English appropriately to understand a series Furthermore, there are two aspects supporting
of utterances, to use expressions, to convey the enhancement of students' communicative
information and to maintain the ow of skills, namely activities and interaction
communication in a certain context. Furthermore, (Savignon, 1997). The activities should provide
this study proposes video-making as a opportunities for students to improve not only
communicative task to assist students in using accuracy but also uency. Further, the activities
English. The task is potential to change the should accommodate different language skills
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
including listening and speaking, reading and pedagogical task. The target task refers to the
writing, since they are commonly used real-world-context language, meanwhile the
simultaneously in a real-life context. The other pedagogical task refers to the classroom
aspect is interaction which is important in language. All tasks should be designed to equip
enhancing students' communicative skill since it students with the communicative language
enables students to understand, express, and needed in certain topic discussions in the
exchange ideas. In this sense, both teacher- classroom which are also related to real-world
students and students-students interactions situations. Furthermore, a task should have a
should be highly promoted in the classroom combination of the following components,
settings. namely goal, input, content, roles of teachers,
The classroom activities that can be roles of students, setting, procedure, activity, and
implemented are varied. As recommended by output (Nunan, 2004).
Richards (2006), the activities include task-
completion, information gap, information- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
gathering, information-transfer activities and role In acquiring a language, the role of input
plays. In addition, there are some general is undeniably essential. There are some
principles and practices focusing on arguments that associate the needs of input in
communicative skills among ELT practitioners. language learning. One of the most well-known
Richards and Rodgers (2001) suggested providing input theories is proposed by Krashen (1985) as
students with different range of authentic tasks cited in Ellis (2008). Input is dened as every
which require interactive spoken communication. target language that students is exposed to
Brown (2000) considered that communication will through senses and that potentially provides
happen in the classroom context if communicative them with knowledge about the target language
tasks are promoted, input to the language outside (Egbert & Hanson-Smith, 1999). The Input
the classroom is exposed, and output of the Hypothesis as proposed by Krashen (1985) in
authentic language is produced. In addition, Ellis (2008) involves students' understanding of
Larsen-Freeman (2000) highlighted the what they hear and read or the input which goes
importance of facilitating paired work and small into their minds through ears and eyes. Based on
group work which enable students to interact and the Krashen's points of view, students need to
communicate. Those practitioners emphasize the receive a lot of comprehensible input in the target
activities of communicative skills, particularly on language to assist them in understanding it.
authentic communicative tasks which are However, the Krashen's view about input
conducted in paired or small group. hypothesis that becomes the only matter in
Regarding the task-based learning, language acquisition did not receive many
numerous studies reported that effective task- supports. Other theorists believed to focus more
based learning highlights the use of authentic on the practice function of language production
language which facilitate students' needs, rather than merely on input, especially in
involves collaboration, and requires autonomy uency. In this point of view, language use and
among students. Besides, it is a process-oriented language performance are equally important to
with an emphasis on skills integration. Therefore, develop skill components in language learning.
the task-based instruction is designed to enhance In addition to input, students need opportunities
the language in real-life context (Gardner, 1995; to produce the target language. Contrast to the
Levine, 2004). input hypothesis is the comprehensible output
In the implementation of task-based hypothesis asserted by Swain (Swain, 1985, cited
interaction, there are two types of tasks that in Ellis, 2008). Output is language produced by
should be carefully designed. As proposed by the student. The output hypothesis states that to
Nunan (2004), the tasks include target tasks and learn a language, in addition to comprehensible
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
English Learning
Input Video-
Video Processing
Making Task
Communicative Skill
The proposed hypothesis is: In this study, there are some terminologies
H1: There is a statistically signicant difference on related to the topic of the study that are necessary
students' communicative skill after the to be given an operational denition. This is done
implementation of task-based learning. The to facilitate the perception and understanding of
hypothesis implies that the task-based learning the terms used. The terms are related to the
through video making task signicantly enhances variables and treatment.
students' communicative skills. There were two variables in this study, the
independent and dependent variables, namely
METHODOLOGY task-based learning and communicative skill. The
The quantitative approach was employed independent variable, task-based learning, is
in this study with the experimental research as its operationally dened as a language learning
design. The experimental research was selected as instruction which requires students to
it ts the purpose of the study which is to identify comprehend and interact using the target
signicant difference in learning outcomes of language to complete a task through video-
students' communicative skills after the making. The intention of such activity primarily
implementation of task-based learning through focuses on uency rather than accuracy. The
video-making. Cohen, Manion, and Morrison outcome of the task is short videos produced by
(2011) argued that experimental research design is students. Meanwhile, the dependent variable,
a research aiming to observe the impact of a students' communicative skill, refers to the
certain treatment to a particular group(s). students' ability in using English appropriately to
Specically, the researcher studied a single group understand a series of utterances, to use
using within-group experimental design expressions, to convey information and to
(Cresswell, 2012) or so-called as the one group maintain the ow of communication in a certain
pretest-post-test experimental design (Cohen, et. context. The data of students' communicative
al., 2011). skills were revealed from their performance in the
Regarding the implementation, this study recorded video they produced.
was conducted in a private Islamic university in Other than the research variables, there
Yogyakarta during the rst semester of academic was treatment given. The treatment given to the
year 2016/2017. The sample of the study was experiment group employed the use of
thirty-seven (37) rst-year students. This group technology namely, video-making task, in which
was randomly selected as the experimental group. the students produced two short videos as the
In addition, the variables are described as follows. nal product of task completions. In the videos,
The independent variable (T) was the proposed the students acted out a role-play based on the
treatment, the task-based learning through the given topics as if in the real-life contexts. The
video-making task. The dependent variable was topics were about business telephoning (making
the score of students' communicative skill (Y) and answering phone calls in a formal setting)
obtained from their performance in the video they which was conducted in a group of three, and
made. Y1 represents a pretest of dependent about Master of Ceremony (becoming an effective
variable before treatment, while Y2 represents a formal MC) which was done in pair. Before
post-test of dependent variable after the treatment. recording the video, the students performed the
The design of this study can be represented as in role play in front of the classroom with their peer
Figure 2. Groups Pretest Treatment/ Independent Posttest
Variable
Experiment group Y1 T Y2
or group members. This step is called a rehearsal To ease the data gathering, the criteria and
activity before they proceed to the recording indicators of communicative skill performance
phase. Next, the role play was recorded by using are determined. In assessing students'
their mobile phone video recorder device. The performance, the criteria reference of
videos were then played in the classroom to get Communicative Performance modied from
comments or inputs from the other students about Richards (2006) and Nunan (2004) was used (table
their friend's performance in the video. The 3.2). Therefore, the data of students'
comments are in terms of delivery, pronunciation, communicative skill were gathered from the score
content and vocabulary. of students' recorded performance in the video.
For the data analysis, descriptive statistics score. The data score was gathered from the
was used to answer the rst research question students' recorded performance in the video they
about the students' communicative skill before produced. The mean scores of the students'
and after the treatment by observing the mean communicative skills before and after the
score. In addition, paired sample t-test or implementation of task-based learning using
dependent sample t-test was used to analyse the video-making task are also presented as the
data since this study involved a single group answer to the rst research question. In addition,
measuring the performance before and after the second research question is answered by
completing a treatment during a semester. Prior to seeing the result of the sig (P value) and the t-
it, normality and homogeneity tests were value.
operated. Finally, using the sign (P-value) and the How is the students' communicative skills
t-value, the research hypothesis was drawn. before and after the implementation of task-
based learning? To nd out the students'
RESULT AND DISCUSSION communicative skill before and after the
The rst result presents the data implementation of task-based learning, the
distribution of the students' communicative skill pretest and post-test scores were analyzed. The
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
The chart represents the score of each and the post-test was analyzed. In addition, the
students' communicative skill. Among 37 following range score was used to show the
participants, 31 students got higher score in the students' communicative skill before and after the
post-test compared to the pretest. Their score treatment implementation.
improvement ranged from 0.5 to 7.5 points which
could be observed from the gained score. The The Paired Samples Statistics of the
student who performed signicant progress in the pretest and post-test below (table 3) was used to
communicative skill was participant 31 with the observe the students' communicative skills before
gain score of the post-test and pretest was 7.5. and after the implementation of task-based
Then followed by participant 12 and 17 whose learning through video-making task. From the
gain score was 6.0. This infers that those students' mean scores, it is found out that the mean score of
communication skill enhanced after the the pretest is lower than the mean score of the
implementation of task-based learning through post-test. The mean score of the pretest of 37
video-making task. Unfortunately, there were also students is 13.11 (SD=2.94) which belongs to
6 participants who got lower score in the post-test moderate level, while for the post test of 37
than the pretest. Those were participant 8, 11, 15, students, the mean score is 15.45 (SD=2.03) which
23, 29, and 36. Their communicative score is categorized as high level. This infers that the
decreased ranging from -0.5 to -3.5 points. The students' communicative skill before the
student with -3.5 gain score was participant 36, in implementation of the task-based learning was in
which his score decreased from 19.5 to 16. These the moderate level, while after the
descriptive data, however, could not be used to implementation, their communicative skill is
draw a conclusion to answer the rst research improved into high level.
question. Therefore, the mean scores of the pretest
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
Std.
Mean N Deviation
Pretest Post-test
N 37 37
The result of the One K-S test presented in determine whether the proportions for a variable
table 4 shows that the sig. value is 0.101 and 0.187 are equal when several samples are selected from
which are higher than 0.05 at the 95% degree of different population. The Levene test is used to
condence (P>0.05). Therefore, it infers that the test the homogeneity of the data. The decision is
data are normally distributed. based on the following assumption, the data are
homogenous if the Sig values is higher than 0.05
Homogeneity test (P values > 0.05). The result of the Levene test is
The test of homogeneity was used to presented in the table below.
Since the result of the Levene test shows that the from which the groups were sampled was
Sig values are higher than 0.05 (P>0.05), it implies homogeneous.
that the variances are equal. Thus, the population
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Journal of Foreign Language, Teaching & Learning Vol.2 No. 1, January 2017
95% Confidence
Interval of the
Std. Std. Difference
Deviati Error
Mean on Mean Lower Upper
context. Before doing the task, the students were question indicated that there was a statistically
exposed to some sample videos related to the signicant difference on students' communicative
topic as the input. These videos provide skill before and after the implementation of task-
knowledge about the topics being learned to help based learning, thus, the alternative hypothesis
them understand the topics (Egbert & Hanson- (H1) was accepted. The result implied that the
Smith, 1999; Krashen (1985) in Ellis (2008)). task-based learning through video making task
As the output, the students were required signicantly enhanced students' communicative
to produce two short videos in which students skills.
acted out a role-play based on the given topics. By Since the study presents a signicant
having this task, the students were given result, it provides several implications regarding
opportunities to communicate with the target the implementation of the treatment to language
language (Swain, 1985, in Ellis, 2008). During the learning. First, language teachers are strongly
process of completing the video-making task, the suggested to shift the focus of instructions from
students practiced their English by interacting the teaching of grammatical structures to the
with their group members on the role they played development of communicative skills. Secondly,
and made improvisation. The activities in the the objectives of language teaching and learning
video-making tasks facilitated the learners with should be based on the enhancement of
communication exchange, interaction and communicative skill and on the ability of students
negotiation of meaning (Ellis, 2008). All are to use the target language for communication. In
conditions that lead to the enhancement of addition, meaningful activities and tasks should
students' communication skill. be provided to facilitate students to comprehend
In conclusion, the result inferred that the and interact using the target language outside the
implementation of task-based learning through classroom. Finally, it becomes essential to
video-making was effective to enhance students' understand how teachers can provide teaching
communicative skill. The use of video as the aids that t students' interests and characteristics.
learning media and video-making as the One of the ways is by implementing information
communicative task utilized in this study was communication and technology in which students
proved to benet the students as both are are mostly exposed to and interested in.
technologies which students are familiar with and
interested in. Also, the activities in the video-
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