Task-based learning: the interaction between tasks and learners

Recent research into task-based learning claims that manipulation of task characteristics and processing conditions can focus a learner’s attention on the competing goals of accuracy, fluency, and complexity. However, it is also necessary to consider the ways in which learners interact with tasks within the classroom environment, and this small-scale study investigates the relationship between tasks and learners. The findings suggest that manipulation of task characteristics and conditions may not achieve the intended pedagogic outcomes, and that new ways are needed to focus learners’ attention on form without sacrificing the meaning-driven principles of task-based learning. Teachers are in a unique position with regard to their understanding and knowledge of individual learners, and a closer partnership between teachers and researchers would be beneficial to support this process.