The Effects of Task Types on Korean University Students’ Oral Performance

Abstract

Despite the extensive studies on the effects of different task features on L2 learners’ performance across the four language skills, less attention has been paid to the effect of task types on Korean university students’ oral performance. In this regard, the present study investigated the effect of different task types on their oral performance by employing both a convergent and a divergent task. A total of 36 Korean university students from various majors participated in this study, and they conducted a decision-making (convergent) and an opinion-exchanging (divergent) task in groups after practicing several tasks over six weeks in class prior to the data collection. Their videorecorded oral performances were transcribed verbatim, and the transcripts were analysed using a mixed research design to interrogate the complexity, fluency, and interaction within their performances. Further, their transcripts were also analyzed to examine any differences through a thematic content analysis. The results revealed that the students showed a higher degree of fluency, complexity, and turn-taking in the convergent than in the divergent task. Also, students in the convergent task took multiple roles as moderator during the task performance to more actively facilitate task completion. Pedagogical implications and research limitations are also discussed.