Efficacy of Communicative Task-Based Language Learning in Developing Listening Skills of Elementary Stage Students

Abstract

The current research paper is the second and the concluding research paper that aims at addressing the lacunae found in listening comprehension of elementary school students discussed in ‘Listening: An overlooked dimension in second language acquisition’ (Sekhri & Singh, 2017). Of various methods proposed by various linguists and scholars in the area, the researcher picked grammar-translation method (still very popular in Indian schools) and task-based language learning (found to be very successful in enhancing the listening skills of students) to examine their effect on listening skills of elementary school students. The study was delimited to students studying in private schools of Ambala district. The duration of the study was 9 weeks and it was experimental in nature following pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 140 randomly selected students were equally allocated to experimental (taught using and task-based language learning (TBLL)) and control groups (taught using grammar-translation method (GTM)). It was hypothesized that there won’t be any significant difference between the mean gain scores of students in either group. The researcher developed both instructional material and listening test. Independent samples T-test was employed on pre-test scores to compare the means and to match the groups taught through TBLL and GTM. Finally, parametric statistics viz. 2 X 3 ANOVA was employed to study the impact of teaching methods on dependent variable. The listening skills of students taught through TBLL were found improving during the treatment. It was also found that traditional way (GTM) of transmitting knowledge to young brains mars their creativity as well as interest in the subject. Further, since TBLL demands working in groups and pairs hence, it was found that the said method not only had an impact on students’ linguistic skills but also life skills including team work, cooperation, critical thinking and social-competence.

Keywords: task-based language learning, grammar-translation method, listening skills, life skills, elementary school students