Enhancing Oral Interaction in English as a Foreign Language Through Task-Based Learning Activities

Abstract

New processes of task-based learning (TBL) activities were implemented in a class of 35 eighth-grade students of English as a foreign language at a public school in Planeta Rica, Córdoba, Colombia. The activities were based on information about students' interest and own experiences, and research results from this project suggest this helped encourage an improved quality of oral interaction. The provision of goal-oriented input additionally facilitated the oral interaction process, as students could recall previously rehearsed activities as needed when practicing oral production of their ideas and experiences in English. The researchers conclude that task-based activities helped the students comprehend and manipulate information, as well as interact meaningfully and spontaneously.