Sudanese EFL University Instructors’ Perspectives about using Task-Based Language Teaching in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Communicative Competence: A Case Study of University of West Kordufan (Published)
The aim of this study is to investigate Sudanese EFL university instructors’ perspectives about using task-based language teaching in enhancing EFL learners’ communicative competence in the Faculty of Education, at West Kordufan University in Elnnihud City in Sudan during the second semester of the academic year 2020-2021. Fifteen EFL university instructors are randomly selected as a sample of this study. To collect data, the study depends on a structured interview. The results of the study reveal that majority of the interviewed instructors believe that task-based language teaching enhances Sudanese EFL university learners’ communicative competence to large extent because it enables students to work with their peers in pairs or groups and this enables them to feel more comfortable in using language more naturally than with their teachers. However, the participants do believe that they have experienced some difficulties in using task-based language teaching approach for example slow and low-proficient students do not get more opportunities to enhance better communicative competence because group working, discussions and presentations are dominated and overshadowed by proficient students. In addition to that, some students lack the sufficient lexical competence and the topical knowledge in English. The participants think that these difficulties have impact on the developing and enhancing of communicative competence of Sudanese EFL university learners to large extent. Finally, the study recommends that the learning tasks should address students’ language needs and interests and the students should be grouped according to their levels of proficiency besides that teachers must simplify the language required to undertake the task and make it easier for the students.
Keywords: Communicative Competence, EFL Instructors, Perspectives, Task-Based Language Teaching, sudanese
Teaching Speaking Skill to EFL College Students through Task-based Approach: Problems and Improvement (Published)
This study aimed at exploring Yemeni EFL students’ perceived problems of speaking and enhancing their speaking performance using task-based instruction strategy. It followed a quasi-experimental research design to check the degree of enhancement in the students’ speaking skills, and a qualitative design to check students’ problems in speaking. To ensure effective use of strategic teaching, the researchers considered students’ needs and motivation by involving them in an interview about the problems they face when communicating in English. Non-probabilistic convenience sampling was used in the present study. The sample consisted of 20 first-year college students at Socotra Faculty of Education, Hadhramout University, Yemen, in the academic year of 2018-2019. The findings revealed that students face many speaking problems pertaining to knowledge of phonology, vocabulary, grammar and problems of sustaining the oral interaction, as well as psychology -related problems. The analysis of data collected, using paired sample t-test, indicates a significant improvement has taken place in students’ speaking skill compared to the pre-test and the post-test performance with t-value of 5.349 and p. value =.000,<. 0.005, with effect size of (ES = .53). Based on the findings, the study recommends that EFL teachers focus on the problems reported by students whenever they want to develop their students’ communicative competence.
Keywords: Communicative Competence, EFL Learners’, learners' expectations, speaking problems, task-based instruction, teaching speaking