Task-Based Reading Assessment vs. Traditional Reading Test

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

This study examined the effect of task-based assessment on the type of test-taking strategies that three proficiency groups of Iranian adult EFL learners used when completing a task-based reading paper. A total of 70 EFL university undergraduates (53 females and 17 males) took part in the study. They were divided into three proficiency groups: high, intermediate and low. A set of Chi-square analyses was used to explore the type of test-taking strategies they used. The findings revealed that a pattern could be drawn of the type of strategies used by the three proficiency groups. Nonetheless, such a pattern shifted at times depending on the ability of the test takers and/or the tasks under study.

Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2019

The present study examined the effectiveness of task-based instruction (TBI) in improving the reading comprehension ability of EFL students at the University of Tabuk. In order to conduct this study, 80 EFL students at the University of Tabuk, who have taken Placement Test (TUPT) as a pre-test, were chosen for the study. The participants of the study were selected randomly. The researcher used reading comprehension tasks and Placebo Task (Pre-/ Post-test) as the research instruments of the study. The findings of this study revealed that students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group. Thus, task-based instruction was considered to be effective in increasing the reading comprehension ability.

Applied Research on English Language, 2015

Developing reading comprehension ability is an important aspect in acquisition of a language. The present study focused on improving reading comprehension ability through Task-based Instruction (TBI). TBI is a methodology that develops from a focus on classroom tasks. The participants of the study were 135 Iranian female students at different levels selected from high schools in Isfahan, Iran, through a quasi-experimental design. The participants were divided into four groups, two control groups (CGs) and two experimental groups (EGs). They received a pre-test, the instruction, and a post-test. The participants in EGs were taught through TBI, whereas CGs were exposed to a traditional method. The comparison between CGs and EGs were made through paired sample t-tests. The results revealed that the students in EGs outperformed CGs. The difference between the two grades was also investigated by independent sample t-test. The results showed that students at first-grade outperformed fourth-graders. The findings suggest that using flexible and interactive tasks in English classes improves reading comprehension ability of Iranian EFL learners. This study may have pedagogical implications for practitioners in the field and for syllabus designers to include appropriate tasks in English textbooks.

International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2014

The current study investigated the effect of task-based instruction in improving the reading comprehension ability among the Iranian EFL students. To conduct this study, a sample of 80 Iranian EFL students in Islamic Azad University, Larestan, Iran served as the participants of the study. After the administration of an Oxford Placement Test as the pre-test, the students were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. During the treatment, the students in the experimental group received some reading comprehension tasks, and the students in the control group received a placebo. At the end of the treatment, the students in both groups were administered a post-test. The result of this study revealed that the students in experimental group outperformed the students in the control group. In other words, task-based instruction was effective in increasing the reading comprehension ability.

International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2013

Language learning has experienced a shift of focus from a form-focused to a meaning-focused approach, and the necessity of using task-based learning, a relatively recent approach, has emerged. The vital role of task-based materials makes it obligatory not to exclude them from the language learning syllabi. The current study aims at investigating whether task-based reading can contribute significantly to the development of reading comprehension of Iranian advanced EFL learners of English. An experimental study was carried out in order to scrutinize the applicability of taskbased language teaching. To this end, 60 female advanced EFL learners, selected from among a pool of 100 learners, were assigned equally and randomly into two groups of thirty, consisting of an experimental and a control group. The selection of the participants was based on the results of a standard and piloted version of Paper-based TOEFL. The participant's mean age was about 23, ranging from 20 to 27 years of age. Both groups received a pretest and a post-test of reading. During the treatment period the experimental group received task-based reading activities while the control group received reading instructions through traditional methods. The impact of the treatment upon the reading comprehension ability of the participants was analyzed through an independent-samples t-test, and comparisons between groups were made. The results clearly indicated the development of reading comprehension ability of the participants in the first group (the experimental group) through the application of task-based reading activities.

The present study examined the reliability of an achievement test to measure the efficacy of task-based writing activities to improve Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension at the intermediate level in a private language institute in Ilam, Iran, namely Alefba language institute. To achieve the goal, the techniques for evaluating reliability of criterion-referenced tests proposed by Brown and Hudson (2002) were employed. To calculate the reliability of the developed test, or using Brown and Hudson’s (2002) term “dependability”, two coefficients of agreement (ρo) and Kappa (к) were computed following the appropriate way Brown and Hudson have offered. The results demonstrate that the developed achievement test is a reliable measure to assess the efficacy of task-based writing activities to advance the selected participants’ reading comprehension skill. Implications of present findings and suggestions for further research are discussed as well.

Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2017

The present study investigates the impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension performance. Seventy participants were assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups. Having instructed the two groups with the same texts but different task types and activities (i.e. tasks in 4 types) during 20 sessions, the learners’ reading performance results were compared through utilizing a reading post–test to both groups. The obtained data was analyzed using t-test to examine the effects of independent variable, namely, the method of teaching reading (task-based activities vs. classical reading comprehension) on learners’ reading performance as the dependent variable. Also, the performance of the experimental group in four task types was analyzed in order to investigate possible differences among four reading sets of scores obtained on four task types. A follow up TUKEY test was also conducted to locate the exact areas of difference. Res...

Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 2011

Nowadays, preparing learners to communicate successfully in language classes is of utmost importance. But teachers face a lot of difficulties in teaching English in EFL contexts. One of the major problems is students' unwillingness to take part in reading classes. Reading classes seem boring for students who find no occasion to show their ability and no need to challenge their brain to answer teachers' display questions.

Examining the Backwash Effect of Task-Based Language Assessment on Reading Skills of EFL Undergraduate Students, 2022

This study primarily focused the EFL undergraduate students at a public university in Pakistan. In this study, task-based language assessment (TBLA) was used to assess reading skills because it is one of the most assessed language skills in Pakistan. Reading is an academic skill. Supposedly, students should have good reading skills at higher education. Thus, there are three courses taught specifically focusing on English language at higher education and reading is a prime focus in all three of them. However, the reading test items are criticized for testing rather the writing skills instead of reading. Thus, a Task-based Language Assessment (TBLA) was used to check its backwash effect. TBLA has not been adopted in the local context yet, specifically in a reading context. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the backwash effect of TBLA on reading skills. In this study, action research design was followed within the qualitative research paradigm. Sample was drawn using convenient sampling. The participants were 12 undergraduate students. Students' reading journals, exit slips and teacher's diary were used as data collection instruments. The findings revealed that TBLA has a positive backwash effect on both teaching and learning in the EFL context. Further pedagogical implications are proposed in the study.

Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2009

Task-based learning and teaching in the realm of teaching young learners is still considered an adventure since very few experimental studies to date have tackled its applicability in that age group. The present research was an attempt to find out whether using task-based reading activities has any impact on the development of text comprehension in Iranian young learners studying English as a foreign language at the beginner level. Two groups of 25 students, aged 11 to 13, were the participants of the study. Through a reading pretest, it was ensured that the two groups were at the same level and belonged to the same population in terms of the reading skill. Having instructed the experimental group with four task types and the control group with classical reading activities, the researcher compared the reading performance of the two groups through a t-test which, not surprisingly, manifested the better performance of the experimental group. A follow-up reading test also showed that t...