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Article published In: Language Teaching for Young Learners
Vol. 3:1 (2021) ► pp.137–158

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Practitioner Research Article

A case study of one teacher’s introduction to task-based language teaching

Insights for the development of a professional development programme

 | Universitas Negeri Medan, Indonesia
 | Curtin University, Australia
Published online: 16 April 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00020.ell
Abstract
This article reports a practitioner research study where one of the authors worked with an Indonesian secondary school teacher to help her introduce task-based language teaching into her own classroom. We report a study involving classroom observation, interviews, and a reflective journal and show that the teacher was able to develop a good understanding of TBLT principles, construct well-structured lessons around tasks, and, in the main, to implement TBLT effectively. We also found that there was also a generally positive response to TBLT from the students and pre- and post- tests provided evidence of language learning. However, we also observed that while the teacher was able to adopt the role of facilitator, she still sometimes continued to behave as a traditional instructor, dominating the interactions through display questions and nominating students. We conducted this case study as part of our work as teacher educators and conclude with a list of the insights we gained can inform professional development programmes for TBLT in Indonesia.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Challenges facing teachers in implementing TBLT
  • 3.Professional development for TBLT
  • 4.The case study
    • 4.1Instructional context
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Design
    • 4.4Materials and instruments
      • 4.4.1Task-based materials
      • 4.4.2Tests
      • 4.4.3Interviews
      • 4.4.4Student questionnaire
      • 4.4.5Lesson observations
      • 4.4.6Reflective journal
    • 4.5Data analysis
  • 5.Main findings
    • Research question 1
    • Research question 2
    • Research question 3
    • Research question 4
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
    • 7.1The importance of demonstrating appropriate use of the L1
    • 7.2The need for input-based tasks with low-proficiency learners
    • 7.3Ensuring that teachers have a clear understanding of what a task is
    • 7.4Providing teachers with examples of what behaviours are compatible with the role of ‘facilitator’
    • 7.5The need to help students to negotiate for meaning
    • 7.6Designing task-based lessons for mixed ability classes
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (19)
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This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

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