Authentic Tasks to Foster Oral Production Among English as a Foreign Language Learners
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Attaining oral production is a challenge for most English language teachers because most of the strategies implemented in class do not engage students in speaking activities. Tasks are an optimal alternative to engage learners in communicative exchanges. This article presents the results of a qualitative action research study examining the effects of authentic tasks in oral production with a group of tenth graders in a public high school in the south of Colombia. Considering the conclusions of the study teachers are encouraged to use authentic tasks in the classroom to involve students in meaningful learning to foster oral production.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors of the manuscripts accepted for publication in HOW journal are required to sign a nonexclusive license agreement allowing ASOCOPI to reproduce the full text on the Internet or in any other available source. Authors retain copyright of their manuscripts with the following restrictions: first publication is granted to ASOCOPI; nonexclusive agreements with third parties can be established as long as the original publication in the HOW journal is properly acknowledged.
References
Ansari, M. S. (2015). Speaking anxiety in ESL/EFL classrooms: A holistic approach and practical study. International Journal of Education Investigation, 2(4), 38-46.
Burns, A. (2003). Collaborative action research for English language teachers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Chastain, K. (1998). Developing second language skills: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). Chicago, US: Harcourt Brace Publishers.
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of References for Languages: Learning, teaching, and assessment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles, US: Sage.
Eyring, J. L. (2002). Experiential and negotiated language learning. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 333-344). Boston, US: Heinle & Heinle.
Fink, L. D. (2003). What is significant learning? Retrieved from https://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/facultycenter_SignificantLearning.pdf.
Goh, C. C. M., & Burns, A. (2012). Teaching speaking: A holistic approach. New York, US: Cambridge University Press.
Guariento, W., & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT Journal, 55(4), 347-353. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/55.4.347.
Hedge, T. (2002). Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Hopkins, D. (2008). A teacher’s guide to classroom research (4th ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. A. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x.
Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (1985). The action research planner. Victoria, AU: Deakin University Press.
Ministerio de Educación Nacional. (2006). Estándares básicos de competencias en lenguas extranjeras: inglés. Bogotá, CO: Author.
Nunan, D. (1989). Understanding language classrooms: A guide for teacher-initiated action. New Jersey, US: Prentice Hall.
Nunan, D. (1991). Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers. New York, US: Prentice Hall.
O’Malley, J. M., & Valdez-Pierce, L. V. (1996). Authentic assessment for English language learners: Practical approaches for teachers. Boston, US: Addison Wesley.
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667190.
Sharkey, J., & Clavijo-Olarte, A. (2012). Community-based pedagogies: Projects and possibilities in Colombia and the United States. In A. Honigsfeld & A. Cohan (Eds.), Breaking the mold of education for culturally and linguistically diverse students: Innovative and successful practices for the 21st Century (pp. 129-138). Lanham, US: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Soto-Santiago, S. L., Rivera, R. L., & Mazak, C. M. (2015). Con confianza: The emergence of the zone of proximal development in a university ESL course. HOW, 22(1), 10-25. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.22.1.132.
Tsiplakides, I. (2009). Helping students overcome foreign language speaking anxiety in the English classroom: Theoretical issues and practical recommendations. International Education Studies, 2(4), 39-44. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v2n4p39.
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Edinburg, UK: Longman.