Exploring the Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching on Students’ Analytical Writing

Abstract

Although analysis is an essential skill for academic success, many students find it difficult to write analytically. Some resources exist that explain the features of an analytical text, but few resources have been translated into materials that teachers can use straightaway in the classroom, making their evaluation an underexplored area. This classroom-based study aimed to answer a research question: To what extent is task-based language teaching of analytical reports reflected in students’ assignments? Six units of task-based teaching materials were developed for an undergraduate technical communication course, which was taught to an intact class of 18 engineering students. The students then wrote an individual report analyzing a real world engineering ethical case. All the assignments were collected and analyzed, drawing on a genre analysis framework that examines macro level features (e.g. generic structure) and micro level features (e.g. vocabulary and grammar). Results show that the classroom instruction and materials had a positive impact on students’ performance. Most of them were able to structure their reports effectively, using the essential moves and steps and incorporating key lexical items (e.g. vocabulary of causation) and grammatical features (e.g. conditional sentences). A few students did not follow the template, choosing to take the notion of genre more flexibly. Teaching implications are explained.