The Effectiveness of Using Task-Based Learning Activities to Promote Cooperative Learning and Increase Motivation of Students Learning EFL in Second Cycle of Obligatory Secondary Education

Abstract

[eng] There is a wide range of bibliography which deals with task-based learning (TBL) and cooperative learning (CL) and demonstrates that both methods are successful in terms of motivating students who learn English as a second or foreign language. However, very little work has been done to provide tasks ready to put into practice in class. Moreover, although TBL often is related to CL, this relationship is not as simple as it is sometimes explained. Therefore, this research intended to find an efficient way of combining TBL with CL that enhanced highschool students’ motivation when learning English as a foreign language. In this way, based on the literature reviewed, a didactic proposal mixing both teaching methods was designed. Eighteen Spanish learners of second cycle of obligatory education from a public school participated in the study. They acknowledged the positive effects of the type of tasks they did in class as a way to increase their motivation and participation.