Abstract
While task-based instruction is considered as the one of the most effective way to learn a language, it is oversimplified on various grounds especially in teachers’ implementation of the approach in practical terms. Different variables may affect how students are engaged with the language and also with the task. The present study was designed to investigate language related engagement on the basis of metatalk; talk about the language, and task typology. To this end, 80 intermediate participants were assigned to four homogeneous groups on the basis of their proficiency level. The groups were given four different types of the tasks namely; jigsaw, dictogloss, test reconstruction, and translation in order to examine the role of metatalk and task-typology in creation of language engagement opportunity. Participants’ language related engagements were measured by evaluating syntactic devices used in language related episodes in their performances. The statistical analysis revealed that there were significant differences across groups. Specifically, the translation task had the most potential for creating language engagement opportunity and jigsaw task created the least language engagement opportunity. It is concluded that task implementation and task design affect learners’ language engagement at the level of syntax. Implications for testing and material development are provided.
Highlights
By reviewing the literature one would see that the trends in research on classroom discourse analysis has undergone a change
Language has a semiotic role that brings all relevant factors into account including society, the kind of scaffolding and collaboration provided in the task performance and the metatalk and intersubjectivity created as students oriented towards task with different motives and social backgrounds to make the joint ownership of task
By reviewing the p-value of the test in Table 6, the researchers found that there was a significant difference between the task types in terms of syntactic devices participants used in different task types
Summary
By reviewing the literature one would see that the trends in research on classroom discourse analysis has undergone a change. According to the sociolinguistic approaches and activity theory, by having the opportunity to create the joint ownership of task, the way that learners may operationalize the same learning tasks might be different from one learner to another since learners with different goals orient themselves toward the learning task in a different way. This may lead to the creation of different learning activity on the side of the learners (Mackey, 2006; Nita & Gardener, 2005; Nassaji & Fotos, 2004)
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