The Effect of Interactive Task-Based Learning on Learners’ Affective Barriers in ELT

Abstract

In this action research, the aspect of task-based learning (TBL) was spotlighted concerning its influence on students’ affective barriers in English language learning. Thirty-one students in a junior high school, located in a marginalized area in Busan, participated in this program over two and a half months, which mainly consisted of diverse tasks requiring constant interaction between learners, in and out of groups. To investigate the change in learners’ affective domains, questionnaire surveys were conducted at the beginning and end of the program, learners’ self-reflection notes written at every period were used, and a focus-group interview was conducted at the end of the program. After the program concluded, students showed an increased interest, confidence, and motivation in English language learning as well as a reduction in anxiety about learning English, and they suggested that interesting activities and active interaction were the main reasons for these changes. It is hoped that follow-up research will be conducted to explore these results that may be primarily affecting students’ autonomous and continuous learning by chasing their future behaviors.