The Effectiveness of Task-Based Learning for Improving Speaking Fluency Among Adult ESL Learners (Published)
Task-Based Learning (TBL) has become a growing area of interest due to its potential to boost the spoken fluency of adult ESL learners through communicative pedagogy. In contrast to traditional grammar-oriented teaching, TBL focuses on real-life communication, meaningful communication, and problem-solving tasks that reflect authentic language use. The inquiry of this research examines the effectiveness of TBL in enhancing speaking fluency, based on task complexity, learner engagement, cognitive load, performance conditions, and learner feedback. The article provides empirical studies to investigate the effects of task design on fluency performance, the reactions of adult learners to interactive tasks, and the effects of TBL on increasing lexical retrieval, automaticity, and communicative confidence. It further examines issues related to implementing TBL, such as anxiety, classroom management, and assessment reliability, and provides evidence-based methods to ensure the best outcomes in the setting of adult ESL. The reviewed literature has shown that speaking fluency can be greatly improved through task repetition, time planning, reflective feedback on tasks, and communicative tasks relevant to the context. This paper finds that TBL is an exceptionally effective teaching strategy for adult ESL learners when organized scaffolding, task sequencing, and sustained formative assessment are provided. Educator, curriculum, and research recommendations outline the necessity of hybrid models, longitudinal tracking of fluency, and comparative studies of TBL with different learners.
Keywords: Communicative Language Teaching, ESL speaking fluency, Second Language Acquisition, adult language learners, task-based learning