A JOURNAL SUMMARY (11)

TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING WITH SMARTPHONES: A CASE STUDY IN PAKISTAN

SHAISTA RASHID, UNA CUNNINGHAM, AND KEVIN WASTSON University of Canterbury New Zealand

Teachers and Curriculum

Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach has appealed to language teachers for many years. It encourages the meaningful use of the target language through communicative tasks. In Pakistan, as the developing country, the mobile phone industry has flourished over the last few years, due to huge private investments and low purchase costs. However, this rapid expansion of mobile technologies has not yet found its way into language teaching. English is largely still taught as a literature-based subject in Pakistan, with a focus on form rather than communicative competence. This paper aims to explore the impact of smartphone and TBLT approach on students’ and teachers’ perception and motivation in improving English writing skills.

The study was carried out in a public university in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Eleven students and the teachers volunteered to participate. The case study was carried out over five weeks in the first semester. The data collection tools were demographic questionnaire, post-task survey, and interview. The results of the study reveal that using smartphones, combined with a TBLT approach, created learning environments which promote self-confidence and interaction with the teacher and peers. It also helped the teacher in providing individual feedback to the students, improving students’ engagement in learning tasks as well as self-expression in English.