The Influence of Task-based Learning on ELT in ASEAN Context

Abstract

            Since task-based learning was proposed in the field of second language acquisition in the 1980s, the popularity of this teaching approach has risen due to the effectiveness in enhancing learners’ communicative competence. To complete tasks, learners have opportunities to use the target language in various situations so that they can transfer what they learned in the English classroom in real-life. In the past decade, task-based learning has received increased attention from educators and researchers from all around the world. This article provides the evidence for the influence of task-based learning on ELT in ASEAN context and discusses how teachers and educators in ASEAN context have responded to this teaching method. Additionally, the article also identifies the problems with using task-based learning found in Asian countries. The conclusion is that in order to implement task-based learning effectively, EFL teachers and educational institutions must carefully create teaching syllabi, activities in the classroom and assessments which are suitable for language learners’ characteristics, levels of proficiency and limits of the classroom in particular countries.