Task-Based Learning and Teaching in China: Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs and Practices

Autor/inn/en	Zheng, Xinmin; Borg, Simon
Titel	Task-Based Learning and Teaching in China: Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs and Practices
Quelle	In: Language Teaching Research, 18 (2014) 2, S.205-221 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1362-1688
DOI	10.1177/1362168813505941
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Task Analysis; Teaching Methods; Foreign Countries; Secondary School Teachers; English (Second Language); Oral Language; Experienced Teachers; Grammar; Qualitative Research; Teacher Attitudes; Curriculum Implementation; Language Teachers; Observation; Teacher Characteristics; Class Size; Semi Structured Interviews; Content Analysis; China + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Aufgabenanalyse; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Ausland; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Grammatik; Qualitative Forschung; Lehrerverhalten; Language teacher; Sprachunterricht; Beobachtung; Klassengröße; Inhaltsanalyse
Abstract	While much has been written about task-based language teaching (TBLT), research examining teachers' understandings of what TBLT means remains limited. This article explores the understandings of TBLT of three Chinese secondary school teachers of English and the implementation of TBLT in their lessons. Narrative accounts were constructed for each teacher using observational data from two lessons and two semi-structured interviews. These accounts illustrate how each teacher implemented the curriculum as well as the cognitive and contextual factors that shaped their decisions with specific reference to the use of tasks. One key finding is that TBLT was defined in a narrow manner and was strongly associated with communicative activities, especially oral work involving pair and group work. The study also shows that the two more experienced teachers introduced a stronger formal element of grammar into their lessons than recommended by the curriculum; and while all three teachers highlighted the challenges for them in using tasks (e.g. due to large classes), the youngest of the three displayed most commitment to the principles in the curriculum. The qualitative accounts we present here are empirically instructive in the way they extend our understandings of how teachers respond to innovative curricula and specifically to TBLT; these accounts also have concrete practical value: they are a source of material that can be used in teacher education contexts to encourage teachers to reflect on their own beliefs and practices in relation to TBLT. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10