Feedback and Speaking Skills in Task-Based Language Teaching:

Proposed Corrective Measures for EFL Learners

Mohammad Shariq

Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Department of English and Translation,

College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
[email protected]

Biodata:
Dr. Mohammad Shariq is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics, College of Sciences and
Arts, Methnab, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. He received his P.hD. in Linguistics form
Aligarh Muslim University which is one of the most reputed Universities in India. He has
reviewed and published many research papers in International journals. He has taught several
linguistic courses like; Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistcs, Discourse
Analysis, Second Language Acquisition, Semantics, Psycholinguistics, Phonetics and
Phonology and Lexicography and Terminology.

Abstract
This is a quasi-experimental study which aims to investigate the extent to which Corrective
Feedback (CF) is most effective in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) of speaking
skills (in terms of grammatical elements) of tertiary EFL learners at Qassim University, Saudi
Arabia. Three Corrective Feedback measures viz. recast, prompt and explicit correction
(Golshan, 2013) were tested over a period of 28 days (three ninety minute sessions per week),
with 21 undergraduate male participants and direct observation, pre- and post- speaking tests
used in order to evaluate changes in learner performance in speaking English accurately and
fluently using correct grammatical elements. A perceptions questionnaire was also used to
gauge participants’ attitudes to preference for any one CF measure. A few earlier studies have
focused on the role of CF in TBLT, some of these being placed in Saudi Arabia; yet, there is
a dearth of literature about the effectiveness of TBLT concerning grammar in speaking
fluently and accurately. This study fills this knowledge gap by specifically assessing these
aspects of speaking preoficiency. Findings indicated that
Keywords: Fluency, Accuracy, Speaking, TBLT, Corrective feedback, language teaching

Introduction
Language is an essential tool for communication, more so in the 21 st century when
globalization has interwoven survival in different contexts, situations, and societies with the
knowledge of an international language for communication, the majority choice for which is
English. Proficiency in English allows people to have access, process and update on the
information to engage with diverse communities and learn different cultures of the world.
The challenge for education, now, is on how to prepare learners with the rapidly-changing
world so as to be able to compete in the global economy, establish understanding and
application of various complex communication and information systems via communicative
proficiency in this language.
In the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the focus is greater on Task-Based
Language Teaching (TBLT) to prepare students for the global village. The ability of the
students to speak with fluency and accuracy needs further focus in the EFL teaching context
since EFL learners are not fully given the opportunities to practice the use of English outside
the classrooms (Samaranayake, 2016; Albino, 2017; Sun, Lin, You, Shen, Qi, & Lou, 2017;
Wei, Siriyothin, & Lian, 2018; Menayni, & Merabti, 2020). Consequently, among the
speaking problems encountered by the students are the result of inhibition, lack of topical
knowledge, and native language orientation (Leong & Ahmadi, 2017; Abugohar et al. 2019;
Namaziandost et al., 2019).

Task-Based Language Teaching Intervention

Task-Based Language teaching (TBLT) is, in reality, an offshoot of the Communciative
Language Teaching approach. This has also been progressively incorporated into the Saudi
EFL scenario. However, it poses a new and difficult challenge for the language teachers, as
they need to adapt their role from the principal conductor of the learning process to that of a
communication mediator providing corrective feedback.This is a relatively new area of study
in Saudi Arabia, as is the gradual but sure shift from one way communication as the preferred
teaching strategy to two way communication with greater learner participation, if not
complete learner autonomy and learner centredness.
TBLT is an approach to teaching a second/foreign language that aims to facilitate language
learning by way of engaging learners interactively, deploying authentic language use, which
stems from performing and executing series of tasks. TBLT is appropriate with a learner-
centred educational practice and philosophy (Nunan, 2005; Ellis, 2005). It has the following
components: goals, objectives, procedures, and outcomes while advocating content-oriented
meaningful activities rather than the linguistic form (Littlewood, 2004; Nunan, 2005; Beglar
& Hunt, 2002).
Studies in the Asian setting confirmed that TBLT is effective in enhancing the language
competence of students. Murad (2009) investigated the effect of task-based language teaching
on developing speaking skills of Palestinian students, and found out that after the use of the
intervention, the speaking skill of the students in the experimental group significantly
improved and positively increased their level of attitude towards English. Subsequently,
Kafipour, Mahmoudi & Khojasteh (2018) studied the effect of task-based language teaching
in writing in the EFL classrooms in Iran, and showed significant improvement in the learners’
writing skills, especially with enough exposure to TBLT techniques.
Moreover, Albino (2017) assessed the use of TBLT in enhancing the speaking fluency of
EFL learners in Angola, and found improvement in the students' ability to produce speech,
grammatical accuracy, and interactional language. In much the same vein, Ibrahim and
Khater (2016) reported that Task-based Instruction developed the English language speaking
skills of Egyptian primary pupils. Ding (2018) also concluded that the Task-based Approach
improved the English speaking skill of adult Syrian learners. In the Saudi EFL context, Zhu
and Shu (2017) found the advantage of TBLT in the primary classrooms of China. Likewise,
Zhang (2019) observed the marked improvement in the language skills of Chinese EFL using
a wiki-enhanced TBLT approach. While Yang (2017) explored the applicability of TBLT in
the education of English at Chinese colleges, Ju (2017) proves that Task-based teaching
promotes the English language skills of Chinese college students. However, TBLT ‒ though
theoretically and intellectually appealing ‒ continues to have a limited impact on the teaching
of English as a second language in many contexts (Ogilvie & Dunn, 2010).

Speaking Fluency
Fluency Development has been supported by theories and researches in different contexts,
including planning, task repetition, and language teaching. De Jong and Perfetti (2011)
investigated the role of speech repetition in the oral fluency development of students in the
course Teaching English as Second Language (TESL) in a university in the United States.
The study concluded that fluency improved remarkably with the use of TBLT. Hence,
linguistic knowledge proceduralization improved fluency. In addition, Lambert, Kormos and
Minn (2017) examined the correlation between immediate gains in second language fluency
and oral monologue tasks. Results showed that aural-oral same tasks repetition is related to
oral fluency gains regardless of the level of proficiency, or the tasks designed to the students.
In sum, research shows that speaking fluency can be achieved by means of language practice
and repetition.

Corrective Feedback for Accuracy

Teachers’ corrective feedback (CF) on the learners’ second/foreign language acquisition has
motivated interest and research. Most of the studies have, nevertheless, been carried out in
controlled settings and language classrooms, thus implementing activities without the
framework of the TBLT approach. Sato’s (2013) investigation of the belief of ESL learners
on peer interaction and peered corrective feedback (CF) indicated positive social
relationships between learners and collaborative learning environment emerging as variables
for effective language development. In relation to writing skills, Bitchener and Knoch (2010)
reported that, CF helps advanced second language learners’ level of accuracy. Similarly,
Hartshorn, Evans, Merrill, Sudweeks, et al (2010) reported that heightened writing fluency is
observed with the use of corrective feedback in writing. Moreover, Chu (2011) examined the
effectiveness of teachers’ corrective feedback on accuracy in Oral English of college students
in China, and found that teacher’s corrective feedback is important in foreign language
teaching. OZturk (2016) scrutinizes the implications of feedback in Turkish EFL classrooms,
asserting that recast and explicit correction were the most commonly used CF types. As is
thus quite apparent, corrective feedback enhanced English language speaking and writing
skills alike.

Problem Statement
Difficulty with speaking English is considered a challenge not only in the Saudi EFL
educational system but around the world (Al-Ahdal, 2020). Chinese EFL learners encounter
multilevel difficulties in speaking English fluently and accurately, the obstacles being
attributed to their linguistic, cognitive, and emotional factors (Wang, 2014; Yao, 2019; Lei,
Weiwei, & Di, 2016). This calls for necessary interventions by language teachers. They need
to use appropriate methods and strategies to address the emerging speaking problems of EFL
learners and to use the language appropriately in a social context (Alrefaee & Al-Ghamdi,
2019).
The value of communicative competence transcends speaking fluency and accuracy.
Speaking accuracy means the extent to which a speaker produces language which conforms
to the norms of the target language (Yuan & Ellis, 2003). It involves proper pronunciation,
grammar, and vocabulary. Speaking fluency, on the other hand, is the ability of the speaker to
produce spoken language without undue pausing or hesitation (Skehan, 1996; Nassaji &
Fotos, 2011). Hence, too many hesitations and pauses hinder fluency of speaking. Helping
learners to improve their speaking with fluency and accuracy is a core concern of the EFL
contexts (Nakatani, 2010). In the new Curriculum Standards of KSA, it is stipulated that
teachers must be facilitators of knowledge with the learners through TBLT. Saudi EFL
language teachers are encouraged to reflect on their teaching practices, and advance their
frontiers of knowledge towards the teaching of English as a Foreign Language through
TBLT.

Context and Gap

While TBLT has shown wide adoption in the Asia-Pacific region, conceptual misconceptions
and classroom constraints are the impending factors of implementation (Butler, 2011). Iizuka
(2019) recently confirmed that, despite the popularity of TBLT, professionals often skipped
the potential benefits of TBLT. It may be highlighted that Needs Analysis is essential for
curriculum development with the integration of TBLT.The speaking skill has been
investigated by numerous language experts. However, there is still a dearth of literature about
the effectiveness of TBLT concerning fluency and accuracy which are retarded for lack of
grammatical proficiency. This study hopes, therefore, to contribute to addressing the research
gap by looking at the actual experiences of Saudi EFL learners with the use of TBLT with
corrective feedback.

Research Purpose and Significance

This paper investigated the effectiveness of TBLT in enhancing the speaking fluency and
accuracy of EFL learners in the educational context of Saudi Arabia by using the Traditional
Language Teaching Approach with Corrective Feedback. It specifically aimed to: (1)
Describe how TBLT with corrective feedback enhanced the speaking fluency and accuracy of
EFL learners of Saudi EFL education; (2) Ascertain the significant differences on the
perceptions and attitudes of the students before and after the implementation of TBLT with
corrective feedback towards speaking; (3) Verify which CF is most effective in improving
learners’ grammar and, thereby, adding to the fluency and accuracy of oral output.

Methods
Research Participants and Setting
The study was set in the second year EFL class (intact class has 42 students) with voluntary
participation sought from a maximum of 21 learners. Sample size was calculated using the
G*Power T-test Mean difference between two independent sample means (matched pairs)
with A priory Type of power analysis set into a two-tailed test, showing an actual power of
0.90, and effect size of 0.5. Participants were all males with the median age falling at 19.8
years, with a continued EFL education background of eight or more years. It may be noted
that, by the time students enter the sophomore year in Saudi universities, they have already
had exposure to a standardised English proficiency test and a brief orientation course in
English. Thereafter, on the basis of their performance, they are grouped into classes.
However, to gauge the more recent proficiency of the participants, the researcher (a trained
IELTS examiner) conducted the IELTS speaking test which comprises three sections:
Answers about self and family; extempore speaking about a topic; and a one to one
discussion with the examiner on the speaking topic. The entire section lasts about thirteen
minutes. The IELTS speaking band descriptor tests the examinee’s fluency. grammatical
accuracy, lexical resourse and pronunciation. For the purpose of the study, since the focus is
specifically on fluency and grammatical accuracy, the researcher tested the participants on all
descriptors but recorded fluency and accuracy in table 1 for comparison to scores in the post-
test.

Research Design
Western movies and TV shows are extremely popular amongst Saudi university students.
Linking an activity to these immediately ensures greater learner engagement and
participation. In the present study, the speaking activity was directly connected to the
contemporary Netflix original series Anne With an “E” and Atypical, a series about an
autistic teenager. Both the shows are a great draw for those leaving or recently departed their
teen years, and touchingly address issues that attract young minds. The participants were
given an option to watch an episode of either of these shows, and to come prepared and take
their peers through the storyline. They were free to use less than ten snapshots of scenes if
they felt it added to their narration, with the rider that the shots must not carry any written
cues. This was done to ensure maximum speaking output from the participants. The exercise
was scheduled for 90 minutes every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday during the regular
English slot in the timetable. Every participant was required to speak extempore for a
minimum of eight minutes, (and in no case more than eleven minutes), and speakers could
volunteer for turns. It was, however, clarified to them that each one of them was required to
undertake the speaking, and one cycle lasted for four teaching days. The teacher’s role was
well-charted:
At an orientation session lasting half an hour, the participants were familiarised with the aims
and objectives, significance and purpose of the study. They were also duly assured of the
confidentiality of their responses, identity and other personal information sought as part of
the demographic homogenisation of the sample. Finally, they were familiarised with the
concept of in-class corrective feedback, the three types of CFs to be used in the study, and the
purpose of CF in an EFL classroom were also discussed. In the first cycle, participants were
briefed about the corrective measure that the teacher would adopt to help them rectify their
grammar mistakes and errors. These were as follows:
1. Recasts: Ellis and Sheen (2006) define recasts as a rewording of, or a reformulating of, an
incorrect or erroneous production without explicitly pointing out the error, or explaining the
grammar rule that goes into correction. For Goo (2012), it is the method most frequently used
in language classrooms.
2. Prompts: According to Tedick and Gortari (1998), prompt involves clarification,
metalinguistic cueing, and elicitation of alternate response.

3. Explicit correction: As explained by Lyster and Ranta (1997), explicit correction is a kind
of feedback that is done immediately by the teacher, and that may include an explanation of
the grammatical rule the learner does not abide by.
Thereafter, the CFs were taken up in a short speaking task by engaging participants in a
question-answer task on a poem they have recently been taught in the EFL class, an exercise
that was continued till the researcher was satisfied that, the participants were well-adjusted to
the new methods, and could also distinguish between the CF measures being used.
As a post-test instrument, a questionnaire on learners’ perceptions of task-based EFL learning
and their attitudes to Corrective Feedback was administered. The instrument carried twelve
items with an equal number of statements on positive and negative attitudes, and included
statements to isolate the CF most favored by the participants. The questionnaire is simply
worded in English, and responses were sought on the classic Likert Scale rubric of Strongly
agree to Strongly disagree. Table 2 shows the frequency scores of the responses.

Data Analysis and Results

The following Table 1 shows the comparative scores of each of the 21 participants (coded
SEFL22.1 through SEFL22.21, for Sophomore English as Foreign Language class of 2022)
in the pre test and post test IELTS Speaking Component.

Table 1: Comparative Scores of Participants in IELTS Speaking Test before and after
the Intervention
Statistical analysis was performed to arrive at the t and p values in order to check if the
change in the pre- and post-test accuracy scores is significant. For this parameter, thet-value
is -6.34792 and the p-value is < .00001. Interprestationfotehse values indicates a statistically
significant change in the participants’ performance from the pre- to the post-test at p< .05.
Similar analysis was also carried out for the other parameter in the study, viz, fluency. On
calculating the t andp values for fluency scores in the IELTS pre- and post-tests, the
following values were obtained:
p- value is < .00001 and t-value is -8.07893. In other words, the result is significant at p< .05.
The comparative scores are depicted in figure 1 for ease of use.
The graph clearly indicates an increase in grammatical accuracy between the pre and post test
scores which needs to be interpreted with the participants’ feedback at the end of the
intervention period summarising their views about corrective feedback and the method most
preferred by them for this purpose. In Figure 1, the pretest accuracy measures are indicated in
blue and the post test in grey bars. For all the participants, except SEFL22.1 whose
performance is constant through the two phases, there is better performance on the count of
accuracy. Similarly, fluency shows enhancement in all the participants by the end of the
intervention. It may be noted that the increase in the participants’ band scores in the two tests
appear negligible or, at the very best, small. However, the extremely low p and t values rule
out the possibility of the marginal increase as being attributable to chance alone.
Secondly, though increase in scores may appear to be marginal, it is to be noted that eighteen
of the twenty one participants demonstrated a change in the IELTS band after exposure to the
intervention, though the overall score is the sum of performance in all the four parts, for our
limited purpose the study has used only the sum of two parts. In other words, when a
participant moves upwards from a band of ‘2’ to ‘3’, in real terms as a language user, he/ she
graduates from ‘intermittent user’ who ‘has great difficulty understanding spoken and written
English’ to ‘extremely limited user’ who ‘conveys and understands general meaning in very
familiar situations’ albeit with frequent communication breakdowns. Similarly, the difference
between a band score of ‘3’ to ‘4’ is from being an ‘extremely limited user’ to ‘limited user’.
Questionnaire
Table 2 below summarises the responses to the perceptions and attitudes questionnaire. The
questionnaire has twelve items, and is designed to elicit the following information:
1. What are the participants’ attitudes to CF in a TBLT environment?
2. Which of the three CF measures used in the study are seen by the participants as most
favorable to learning?
An initial twenty item questionnaire was designed, and three teacher-trainers were requested
to validate the statements. Based on their feedback, the questionnaire was compressed to
fifteen items and after a pilot study, redundant items were further weeded out to bring the
instrument to twelve statements ensuring reliability of the instrument. The Likert Scale
gradient from Fully Agree to Fully Disagree was used to obtain the feedback.
Statements 2, 3, 9, 10 elicit participants’ feedback on recast and prompt as CF methods.
Recast is a CF method most favored by EFL teachers in the Saudi classrooms. However, the
responses demonstrate that, learners do not see recast and prompt as ideal for their situation.
The reason can be that when the teacher gives them the correct answer, the grammatical rule
is neither conveyed to them, nor is it reinforced by the task at hand. Similarly, when prompt
via indirect questioning or hints is used, learners cannot still come up with the desirable
answer, as they do not have sufficient grammatical footing to think of other, viable
constructions. Statements 1, 4, 12 elicit the participants’ attitudes to the very idea of CF in
EFL class. It is heartening that, the participants demonstrated a positive attitude to the idea of
CF as they perceive that, without the requisite grounding in grammar, they will not be able to
raise their proficiency level. Statements 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 relate to the participants’ attitudes
to direct explicit feedback in the TBLT speaking class. This is clearly the most popular
choice for CF in TBLT in the Saudi context and should be the preferred choice o the EFL
teachers.

Significance of the Study

Results of this study present implications for language teaching not only in the context of
Saudi EFL classrooms but also in the global context in the search of improving the
communicative competence of ESL learners. The use of TBLT may be widely adopted by
language teachers to provide better language learning opportunities to students. The
following are possible implications: (1) language teachers should be able to properly integrate
CF in TBLT not only in language subjects but also in other content areas since it provides a
scaffolding for helping learners overcome the barriers of speaking; (2) there is a felt need for
sustained professional development of language teachers through the alignment of correction
strategies and TBLT; (3) It is urgent that Saudi language classrooms turn to learner-centred
approaches, wherein mistakes and errors are perceived by both the students and teachers as
learning opportunioties.

Conclusion
The paper attempted to investigate the effectiveness of Corrective Feedback in enhancing the
speaking fluency and accuracy of EFL learners of Saudi EFL using Task-Based Language
Teaching. The findings showed that, the use of explicit corrective feedback in TBLT is an
effective student-centered approach that helps enhance the speaking fluency and accuracy of
Saudi EFL learners, particularly in terms of speech flow and grammatical correctness. The
use of active CF significantly improved learners' perceptions of, and aptitudes towards,
English language speaking and writing skills.
TBLT is an efficient method in the development of the EFL learners’ communication skills.
Not only does this method aid in enhancing the learners’ speaking and writing skills, but it
also helps them gain a key to language profiency: self-confidence. The need for highly-
qualified citizens is all the more pressing, particularly in the context of Saudi Arabia; simply
because, the country is moving steadily towards a more promising future with tremendous
challenges ahead. TBLT helps cater for such a need, and therefore, is a step in the right
direction.