Examining the Effects of Presentation–Practice–Production and Task-Based Language Teaching on Speaking Proficiency of EFL Learners

Recently, task-based language teaching (TBLT), like many other pedagogical innovations, has been widely adopted and implemented in numerous language classrooms across Japan. However, in actual classrooms, many teachers still use drills and exercises or rely on the presentation–practice–production (PPP) framework to prevent the “fossilization of students errors”. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of PPP and TBLT approaches in Japanese EFL-speaking classes, focusing on accuracy and fluency development. The participants were Japanese EFL students, both male and female, with an average age of 20. They were randomly assigned to the PPP and TBLT groups. Evaluation of learners’ completion of the speaking pretest, immediate posttest, and delayed posttest activities in both groups revealed that both approaches had an impact on both immediate and long-term results (one week). In particular, TBLT lessons appeared to be more effective than PPP lessons in improving learners’ fluency. However, students in the PPP group outperformed those in the TBLT group in terms of accuracy on both the immediate and delayed posttests.