Research project

Research title 

“The Impact of Collaborative Task-Based Language Activities on Student Engagement, Learning Attitudes, and Perceptions: A Study of Secondary-Level Learners in an English medium school in Sri Lanka” 

1. Introduction to the research

This research aims to explore the impact of collaborative task-based language learning on students' engagement,learning attitudes and improving the  perception among secondary-level students in an English medium school in Sri Lanka. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) if one of the most effective language teaching approaches used in the context  of Second Language Acquisition (Ellis, 2003; Nunan, 2004; Willis, 1996), but, within Sri Lankan English as Second Language (ESL) classrooms this approach is still underutilised (Indrarathne, 2022). Due to the gap that exists between theory and practice regarding the TBLT approach, I aimed to design, implement and reflect on collaborative task-based language activities that strengthens interaction, communication and authentic use of the target language.

2. Planning the research

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this research was to explore if Collaborative Task-Based Language activities improve the interaction, engagement, willingness and motivation of the students in learning English. 

2.2 Preparation

I designed some learner-centred interactive activities for grade 6 and 7 students ensuring that those activities align with their syllabus and learning objectives.

Activities :- Role plays, Picture description and presentation, Story writing, Poster making, Letter writing

All these tasks ensured that the students used the target language (English) meaningfully when communicating with their peers to express their ideas aligning with the principles of Communicative and task-based teaching (Ellis, 2003; Willis, 1996).

3.  Designing the research

      3.1 Participants

 The research involved approximately 55 students from two English medium secondary-level classes (Grade 6 and 7).

       3.2 Data collection tools

 In order to collect data, multiple qualitative methods were used.

Utilising a variety of tools for data collection made it convenient for me to understand students' experiences, aligning with the concept of triangulating data in qualitative research (Denzin, 1978). 

4. Implementation of the research

     The tasks were conducted during the regular English lessons. During the tasks, I observed how the students engaged,communicated and supported one another.

     4.1 Observations

• Students were very enthusiastic and eager to participate.

• Introvert students were also motivated and contributed to the task.

• Students were able to use their target language in a more authentic and meaningful context to communicate.

• The students shared the responsibilities with each other and each member of the group completed their part of the task.

• Linguistic accuracy of the students has also very high during the writing tasks compared to the traditional lessons and they were very careful with the language.

      4.2 Student feed back

 Based on students' responses during interviews and group discussions, students stated that;

• They enjoy learning English through collaborative tasks than the traditional way of learning.

• Real-life and meaningful activities boost up their enthusiasm and make learning English fun and interesting.
  They were very careful with the use of language during both written and spoken activities as they did not want to make any language error.

• They were confident enough to share their opinions with the peers as collaborative tasks develop a comfortable learning environment.

• These responses from the students showcase that the results of the previous studies which show that collaborative task-based language activities do enhance interaction, motivation and confidence within the learners  (Jayawardena, 2024; Le Van Tuyen, 2022). 

5.  Reflections on the research

     5.1 what worked well

• Collaborative tasks enhance enthusiasm, engagement and interaction of the students.

• It also improved the critical thinking of the students specifically when it comes to collaborative writing tasks.

• During the speaking activities there was a boost in the students' confidence. Even the introvert students in the class tried to go in front of the class and share their ideas. 

• I've also noticed the improvement in more authentic communication within the peers during the groups tasks. 

• Through the tasks such as role plays and poster making the students were able to put their maximum effort and showcase their level of creativity.

• There was a noticeable improvement in learner autonomy. The learners tended to work on their own during problem solving and come up with their own opinions to complete the tasks without depending on the teacher.

• During group speaking activities, each and every student got an equal opportunity to participate in the group task, even the students those who tended to be introvert contributed well.

• Peer support was very helpful for the students those who tend to be introvert.

    5.2 Challenges

• Completion of the group tasks took more time than I expected.

• Students were being noisy during the group tasks and communicating with each other.

• In some groups, some group members very actively participated in completing the activities while some members were less active.

• Some students shifted to L1 when communicating with the peers as they found it difficult to express certain ideas using the target language.

• Individual assessment of the learners was a bit challenging during group tasks.

• Within the classroom there was no access to any sort of new technology which could have facilitated and made the collaborative tasks more effective. Therefore, both the teacher and the students had to follow manual methods to teach,learn and even while doing collaborative tasks.

• Sometimes, even though the students are enthusiastic and excited to complete the given tasks, they easily got distracted while communicating with their peers. As a teacher, I found it a bit challenging to make the students getting distracted easily.

• The long syllabus that the teacher is required to cover within the given short period of time, I found it challenging to conduct collaborative tasks once after completing each lesson due to time constraints. 

 5.3 What I learnt 

Planning, creating, and carrying out my mini project gave me valuable insights into how I've grown as a teacher. One of the most important things I’ve learnt is the difference between having the theoretical knowledge of regarding a certain teaching method and its real-life application within a classroom with a large number of learners. Before starting this research, I became familiar with Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) through the readings of Willis (1996) and Ellis (2003). As I was conducting the collaborative activities within the classroom, I observed how important it is for the teacher to have a well structure and organised lesson, manage the classroom and get the students involved for collaborative activities in order to successfully execute TBLT.

Moreover, one of the most important realisation I’ve come across is the fact that up to what extent does a teacher’s teaching methodology and approach affects the learning experience of the learners in terms of their behaviour, engagement, interest and learning attitudes. A much noticeable change I’ve observed was how the students’ enthusiasm and curiosity increased naturally when I let them decide and plan how they are going to complete the given group activities by their own by communicating with their peers. I did not provide them with any instructions where they have to follow them strictly, instead, I guided them by explaining them how they should do the activities. Through this, I’ve realised how important it is to promote learner autonomy in the class, which does not lessen my responsibilities as a teacher, rather, changing my role in to a facilitator who provides guidance to the students to accomplish their learning goals.

In addition, I’ve also noticed the important role of constant observation in order to make the teaching process more effective. There were instances where I’ve come to realize several weaknesses in my own instruction through observing and watching the students and analyzing their responses. Such weaknesses mainly include fulfilling the needs of the students with different learning styles, much needed improvement in time management and giving more attention to the students those who are slow learners. Within the classroom there were students who loved learning through books and students who were introvert and did not want to get involved with their peers when learning. On the other hand, there were also students who loved interacting with peers during the learning process and learn through collaborative tasks, role plays, discussion and other collaborative activities. This was one of the main challenges I’ve had to come across in order to fulfill each learner’s needs. Through this, I’ve learned the importance of reflective practice towards professional development.

Furthermore, I’ve also observed the complexity of practical implementation of pedagogical theories I’ve learned so far within the classroom. For instance, even though one of the main objectives of TBLT is to enhance communication of the learners, I’ve noticed some students switching back to their first language (L1) when they were found it difficult to express certain ideas using their target language (L2). This experience made me realise the fact that it is rather impossible to strictly follow a certain approach within the classroom, instead, as a teacher, I must do immediate modifications to the method in a way that would suit the needs of the learners.

In conclusion, I learned the importance of being a lifelong learner from mini project. I’ve realised that professional development goes beyond just formal training. It integrates reflecting back on a lesson, experimentation with new methods and approaches or making necessary adaptations from students’ responses and feedback. This knowledge and new experiences encourage me to keep develop myself as a teacher.

6. Future developments

• Plan and conduct more well planned collaborative activities that address the different types of learning styles of the learners in the classroom.

• Share my experiences and opinions with my colleagues and other language teachers to promote TBLT in ESL classrooms in Sri Lanka.

•  Maintaining reflective journals on a regular basis to observe the improvement of the learners after each collaborative activity.  

• Participating in webinars/workshops on communicative and task-based language teaching.

• I also hope to integrate new technology as much as possible to facilitate the teaching and learning processes to make it more effective, engaging and interesting. 

7. Summary of the research

This research highlighted that collaborative task-based language activities have a significant impact on improving students'  engagement, learning attitudes and the perception. The active participation of the students show how motivated they were and it cultivated more positive perspectives within the students regarding learning English. 

References

• Carless, D. (2007). Learning-oriented assessment: Conceptual bases and practical implications. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 33(1), 1–12.

• Denzin, N. K. (1978). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods. McGraw-Hill.

• Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.

• Indrarathne, B., & Sundara, M. (2022). English language teaching, learning and assessment in Sri Lanka: Policies and practices in the school education system. British Council.

• Jayawardena, W. (2024). Investigating the impact of task-based language teaching on student motivation and engagement in the Sri Lankan ESL classroom [Undergraduate dissertation, Open University of Sri Lanka].

• Le Van Tuyen, N. T. (2022). Secondary school students’ perceptions of the use of task-based speaking activities in EFL classes. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 7(1), 204–211.

• Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.

• Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Oxford University Press.