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87 영어교육, 60권 2호 2005년 여름 An Analysis of Task-based Materials and Performance: Focused on Korean High School English Textbooks In-Jae Jeon (Mokpo National University) Jeon, In-Jae. (2005). An analysis of task-based materials and performance: Focused on Korean high school English textbooks. English Teaching, 60(2), 87-109. The purpose of this study is to propose some meaningful considerations for communicative material development by exploring the aspects of task-based materials and performance with reference to first year high school English textbooks in Korea. For this purpose, two studies were conducted. The first one was to quantitatively analyze task-based materials in textbooks based on the qualitative analysis criteria supported by Nunan’s (1989) theory of task components. The second study was to examine the level of participants’ satisfaction with task-based performance through questionnaire research. The results of data analysis show, in accordance with core regulations of the 7th national curriculum for English represented by task-based learning and activity-oriented language use, that communicative theory of language learning is adequately reflected in the task-based materials of all textbooks. To conclude, a few suggestions are made to enhance the effectiveness of task-based activities in communicative classroom practices: a) task goals and rationale that encourage the learner’s motivation; b) authenticity of input data based on real-world situations; c) more emphasis on group work containing problem-solving procedures rather than individual ones; d) proportional representation of activity types and themes, etc. I. INTRODUCTION With the advent of the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach in the early 1980s, the term ‘task’ came into prevalent use in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and task-based language teaching (TBLT) has since become a controversial issue among linguistic researchers in terms of developing learner-centered curriculum, designing process-oriented syllabus, and producing communicative learning materials. Within the varying interpretations of CLT related to classroom practices, recent research exhibits three recurrent features: CLT is task-based (Ellis, 2003; Tudor, 2001); it puts communication and learners’ needs at its core by focusing on meaningful activities accompanied by the use of Copyright(c) 2005 NuriMedia Co.,Ltd 88 Jeon, In-Jae target language rather than knowledge about the language (Bingham-Wesche & Skehan, 2002; Pachler, 2000); it advocates the integration of four language skills and holistic practice from the beginning (Savignon, 2002). In the Korean EFL context the national curriculum substantially controls the three major parts of English education, including the general objective of language learning, the detailed contents of instruction, and the evaluation procedure. Thus, the overall regulations of the national curriculum play a key role in implementing specific classroom practices as well as selecting applicable syllabi and choosing proper textbooks. For instance, the 7th revision of the national curriculum for English, which was first introduced and applied within secondary schools in 2001, has been characterized by a definite shift toward the use of CLT aimed at improving learners’ communicative competence (Guilloteaux, 2004; Hae- Ri Kim, 2004). Unfortunately, however, a quick review of task-based literature in relation to the CLT approach shows that there are a lack of studies which present a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the interaction produced by tasks in EFL classrooms (Seedhouse, 1999). Moreover, despite the collective optimism surrounding task-based classroom practice conceptualized by the CLT approach, TBLT has not yet been sufficiently researched or proven empirically in terms of designing task-based syllabus and producing authentic materials for communicative interaction, especially in EFL environments like Korea, Japan, and China. In light of this, the purpose of this paper is to provide some meaningful considerations for learner-centered curriculum developers and communicative material writers so as to promote the authenticity of task-based materials in the EFL textbook, which is still considered as one of the three indispensable tools (along with teacher and student) necessary in facilitating language learning in classrooms. To this end, two analytic studies are planned: 1) the aspects of task-based materials in current English textbooks are compared and analyzed with reference to four different categories of task analysis suggested by the theories of task components presented by Nunan (1989); 2) task participants’ (e.g., teachers and students in secondary school settings) opinions about their experience of task performance are reviewed and analyzed through questionnaire research. As there is a general consensus in language teaching that the use of authentic materials in the classroom is critically beneficial to the learning process in terms of promoting negotiation of meaning (Guariento & Morley, 2001; Tomlinson, 2003), this analytic study of task-based materials and performance will shed some light on designing communicative tasks and enhancing the effectiveness of task performance in classroom practices. It will also contribute to the development of learner-centered curricula and the construction of process-oriented syllabi, which are two prerequisites for producing EFL textbooks best suited for Korean secondary school settings. Copyright(c) 2005 NuriMedia Co.,Ltd An Analysis of Task-based Materials and Performance 89 II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. A Brief Review of Task-based Pedagogy Nunan (1989) suggests that tasks can be conceptualized in terms of the specific goals they are intended to serve, the input data, which forms the point of departure for the task, and the related procedures, which the learners undertake in the completion of the task. Because tasks promote classroom interaction processes in a collaborative learning environment, they provide a close fit with CLT that allows learners to practice using the target language as a basic tool in communication. The task-based view of language teaching, based on constructivist theory of learning and CLT methodology, has evolved in response to some limitations of the traditional PPP approach represented by the procedure of presentation, practice, and performance (Ellis, 2003; Long & Crookes, 1991). Thus, it has the substantial implications that language learning is a developmental process promoting communication and social interaction rather than a product acquired by practicing language items, and that learners learn the target language more effectively when they are naturally exposed to meaningful task-based activities. Such a view of language learning led to the development of various task-based approaches in the eighties (Breen, 1987; Candlin & Murphy, 1987; Nunan, 1989; Prabhu, 1987), and has developed a detailed practical framework for the communicative classroom in which learners are supposed to perform task-based activities through cycles of pre-task preparation, task performance, and post-task feedback through language focus (Skehan, 1996; Willis, 1996). Specifically, Ellis (2003) indicates that TBLT has been re-examined in recent years from different perspectives: oral performance (Mennim, 2003; Tin, 2003); writing performance (Taylor, 2003; Weigle, 2002); and performance assessment (Bachman, 2002; Bonk & Ockey, 2003). Despite the prevalent use of task in language pedagogy, some significant challenges behind designing proper task-based syllabi and constructing authentic task-based materials, both of which have been considered crucial factors in determining the effectiveness of TBLT in communicative classrooms, still remain unresolved. In response to these challenges, many SLA researchers are currently moving their attention from conceptualizing tasks to sequencing and implementing tasks based on observation of the practical utilities of TBLT methodology in a language-learning environment. 2. A Framework for Analyzing Task-based Materials and Performance In order to propose a useful framework for analyzing task-based materials, it is first of all necessary to draw a proper definition of ‘task’ in terms of language learning context and Copyright(c) 2005 NuriMedia Co.,Ltd 90 Jeon, In-Jae to take a careful look at key factors related to performing tasks. In light of this, task is defined as an activity in which the target language is used for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome (Willis, 1996). It also can be effectively organized based on systematic components including goals, input, setting, activities, roles, and feedback (Candlin & Breen, 1987; Nunan, 1989). Briefly, goals refer to the general aim for the task and input represents verbal or non-verbal materials that learners can manipulate. Setting refers to the environment in which task is performed and activities involve the things participants will be doing in a given setting. The roles for teacher and learner are closely related to the successful implementation of task and feedback concerns the task evaluation. Traditional approaches to analysis of task-based activities, which tend to analyze tasks in terms of macro-skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, and writing), reveal some substantial shortcomings in that few tasks involve only one skill, and that it is often difficult to assign tasks to one skill label or another (Nunan, 1989). In addition, the framework of task components