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Effects of mobile-supported task-based language teaching on EFL students’ linguistic achievement and conversational interaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2020

Wei-Chieh Fang Open the ORCID record for Wei-Chieh Fang [Opens in a new window] ,
Hui-Chin Yeh Open the ORCID record for Hui-Chin Yeh [Opens in a new window] ,
Bo-Ru Luo Open the ORCID record for Bo-Ru Luo [Opens in a new window]  and
Nian-Shing Chen Open the ORCID record for Nian-Shing Chen [Opens in a new window]
Wei-Chieh Fang
Affiliation:
Washington University in St. Louis, USA ([email protected])
Hui-Chin Yeh
Affiliation:
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan ([email protected])
Bo-Ru Luo
Affiliation:
National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan ([email protected])
Nian-Shing Chen
Affiliation:
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan ([email protected])
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Abstract

To address the challenges of limited language proficiency and provide necessary feedback in the implementation of task-based language teaching (TBLT), a mobile-supported TBLT application was developed to provide linguistic and task scaffolding. Sixty-six English as a foreign language (EFL) university learners participated in a three-week experiment as part of a general English course. They were assigned to either an experimental group (mobile-supported TBLT), which received TBLT with scaffolds built into the application, or a control group (traditional TBLT), which received traditional paper-based TBLT without the scaffolds. At the end of the experiment, an English achievement test of vocabulary, grammar, and conversation comprehension was administered to determine if the technological scaffolds enhanced the learning outcomes for the course. Students’ self-perceived use of oral communication strategies was also measured to explore how these scaffolds affected the conversational interaction essential for task performance. Results showed that the mobile-supported TBLT group outperformed the traditional TBLT group on the vocabulary and conversation comprehension tests but not so much on the grammar test. Also, the mobile-supported TBLT group reported greater awareness of fluency- and accuracy-oriented strategies for speaking than the traditional TBLT group. Implications for designing mobile learning to enhance TBLT in an EFL setting are drawn.

Keywords

task-based language teachingmobile-assisted language learningscaffoldingzone of proximal developmentlinguistic achievementconversational interaction
Type
Regular papers
Information
ReCALL , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 71 - 87
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning

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