Evaluating a task-based language teaching course for low-proficiency learners in ESP classrooms in Japan

Despite the growing interest in evaluating contextualized task-based language teaching (TBLT), evaluation studies in ‘difficult contexts’, such as monolingual English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts with low-proficiency learners, remain limited. Employing a macro-evaluation framework, this study evaluates a TBLT program implemented in English for specific purposes (ESP) classrooms with low-proficiency learners in an EFL context. The course comprised two cycles of task-based lessons, each consisting of two lessons: one based on a simple oral task and another derived from a collaborative writing task of a laboratory report. This study examined the 14-week course from three perspectives – response-based, learning-based, and student-based – using multiple data sets, including task outcomes, worksheets, pre- and post-tests, and end-of-class and end-of-course questionnaires. The findings revealed that most students successfully achieved the intended task outcomes. While writing quality improved in complexity and fluency throughout the lessons, accuracy showed little improvement. The students demonstrated positive attitudes toward the task-based lessons, appreciating the oral tasks as valuable opportunities for second language (L2) communication and perceiving the writing tasks as relevant to their future careers. However, they raised concerns regarding task difficulty, limited teacher feedback, and pairing issues. These findings demonstrate that the TBLT course was largely successful, underscoring its potential value for low-proficiency learners in an acquisition-poor environment.