Cover not available

In:TBLT as a Researched Pedagogy
Edited by Virginia Samuda, Kris Van den Branden and Martin Bygate
[Task-Based Language Teaching 12] 2018
► pp. 51–70

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

Chapter 2
Teacher transformation of textbook tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms

 | University of Foreign Languages, Hue University, Vietnam
 | Victoria University of Wellington
 | Victoria University of Wellington
Published online: 1 November 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tblt.12.03ngu
The study reported in this chapter investigated how and why the EFL teachers in a Vietnamese high school diverged from the tasks set in the textbooks provided as part of a task-based curriculum. Over a two-and-a-half-month period, nine teachers (all Vietnamese nationals) were observed teaching a sequence of five lessons covering one textbook unit; a total of 45 observed lessons. The lessons were audio and video recorded, and the teachers and selected students were interviewed. The teachers also took part in stimulated recall sessions. Results of an analysis of the features of the textbook tasks and of the observed lessons showed the teachers frequently adapt or replace textbook tasks, opting to change closed tasks into more open-ended tasks (open, divergent and input-independent) and to modify what they perceived as inauthentic tasks so they were not just ‘real world’, but ‘real’ to students. As to why teachers made these choices, interview data revealed a set of clearly articulated and shared beliefs among the teachers about the nature of teaching and learning, based in part on their experience of experimenting with different types of tasks. Prominent in their stated beliefs was a strong orientation toward the social and affective dimensions of task-based learning which prioritized learner engagement and well-being. This study provides insights into teacher decision making in task based teaching and addresses the pressing call for a ‘researched pedagogy’ which insists that “the use of tasks in classrooms must be an essential focus” (Bygate, 2011).
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • The study: Research methodology
    • The participants
    • The curriculum and the textbooks
    • Data collection methods
    • Data analysis
  • Results and discussion
    • Teacher choice of oral tasks (RQ 1)
    • The teachers’ rationales for divergence from textbook tasks (RQ3)
  • Conclusions
  • References
References (67)
References
Adams, R., & Newton, J. (2009). TBLT in Asia: Constraints and opportunities. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 9, 1–17.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Andon, N., & Eckerth, J. (2009). Chacun à son gout? Task-based L2 pedagogy from the teacher’s point of view. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 19(3), 286–310. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barnard, R., & Nguyen, G. V. (2010). Task-based language teaching (TBLT): A Vietnamese case study using narrative frames to elicit teachers’ beliefs. Language Education in Asia, 1, 77–86. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Berben, M., Van den Branden, K., & Van Gorp, K. (2007). “We’ll see what happens”: Tasks on paper and tasks in a multilingual classroom. In V.d Branden, K. Van Gorp, & M. Verhelst (Eds.), Tasks in action: Task-based language education from a classroom-based perspective (pp.32–67). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bock, G. (2000). Difficulties in implementing communicative theory in Vietnam. Teachers Edition, 2, 24–30.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36, 81–109. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2006). Teacher cognition and language education: Research and practice. London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2009). Language teacher cognition. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp.163–171). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Breen, M., Hird, B., Milton, M., Oliver, R., & Thwait, A. (2001). Making sense of language teaching: Teachers’ principles and classroom practices. Applied Linguistics, 22(4), 470–501. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Butler, Y. G. (2011). The implementation of communicative and task-based language teaching in the Asia-Pacific region. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 36–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bygate, M. (2011). Tasks in classrooms: Developing TBLT as a researched pedagogy: Invited Colloquia. Paper presented at the 4th Biennial International TBLT Conference, University of Auckland.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bygate, M., Norris, J., & Van den Branden, K. (2009). Understanding TBLT at the interface between research and pedagogy. In K. Van den Branden, M. Bygate, & J. M. Norris (Eds.), Task-based language teaching. A reader (pp.495–499). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Carless, D. (2004). Issues in teachers’ reinterpretation of a task-based innovation in primary schools. TESOL Quarterly, 3(4), 639–662. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2007). The suitability of task-based approaches for secondary schools: Perspectives from Hong Kong. System, 35, 595–608. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008). Student use of the mother tongue in the task-based classroom. ELT Journal, 62(4), 331–338. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). TBLT in EFL settings: Looking back and moving forwards. In A. Shehadeh & C. A. Coombe (Eds.), Task-based language teaching in foreign language contexts: Research and implementation. (pp.354–359). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Deng, C., & Carless, D. (2009). The communicativeness of activities in a task-based innovation in Guangdong, China. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 19, 113–134.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z., & Kormos, J. (2000). The role of individual and social variables in oral task performance. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 275–300. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2009a). Task-based language teaching: Sorting out the misunderstandings. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 19(3), 221–246. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2009b). SLA and teacher education. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp.135–143). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). Second language acquisition, teacher education and language pedagogy. Language Teaching, 43(2), 182–201. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Coding data qualitatively. In R. Ellis & G. Barkhuizen (Eds.), Analysing learner language (pp.253–276). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Foster, P., & Skehan, P. (1996). The influence of planning on performance in task-based learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18(3), 299–324. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Foster, P., & Ohta, A. S. (2005). Negotiation for meaning and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 402–430. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guariento, W., & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT Journal, 55(4), 347–353. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gass, S., & Mackey, A. (2000). Stimulated recall methodology in second language research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guk, L., & Kellogg, D. (2007). The ZPD and whole class teaching: Teacher-led and student-led interactional mediation of tasks. Language Teaching Research, 11(3), 281–299. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hoang, V. V., Hoang, T. X. H., Vu, T. L., Dao, N. L., Do, T. M., & Nguyen, Q. T.. (2006). English 11: Teacher’s book. Hanoi: Education Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2007). English 12: Teacher’s book. Hanoi: Education Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to post method. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lamb, T. E. (2000). Finding a voice: Learner autonomy and teacher education in an urban context. In B. Sinclair, I. McGrath, & T. Lamb (Eds.), Learner autonomy, teacher autonomy: Future directions (pp.118–127). Harlow: Pearson Education.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Le, V. C. (2001). Language and Vietnamese pedagogical contexts. Teacher's Edition, November, 34–40.
Le, V. C., & Barnard, R. (2009). Curricular innovation behind closed classroom doors: A Vietnamese case study. Prospect, 24(2), 20–33.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Littlewood, W. (2015). Introduction. In M. Thomas & H. Reinders (Eds.), TBLT in Asia: Challenges and opportunities (pp.9–11). London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Long, M. (1983). Does second language instruction make a difference? A review of research. TESOL Quarterly, 17(3), 359–382. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of research on second language acquisition (pp.413–468). New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Luo, S., & Xing, J. (2015). Teachers’ perceived difficulty in implementation TBLT in China. In M. Thomas & H. Reinders (Eds.), TBLT in Asia: Challenges and opportunities (pp.139–155). London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McDonough, K. (2004). Learner-learner interaction during pair and small group activities in a Thai EFL context. System, 32, 207–224. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McDonough, K., & Chaikitmongkol, W. (2007). Teachers’ and learners’ reactions to a task-based EFL course in Thailand. TESOL Quarterly, 41(1), 107–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MOET. (2010). Guide to implementation of standardized knowledge and skills: The English language subject for Vietnamese high school level. Hanoi: Education Publishing House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nakahama, Y., Tyler, D., & van Lier, L. (2001). Negotiation of meaning in conversational and Information gap activities: A comparative discourse analysis. TESOL Quarterly, 35(3), 377–405. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Newton, J. (2013). Incidental vocabulary learning in classroom communication tasks. Language Teaching Research, 17(2), 164–187. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, T. B. T. (2013). The roles of rehearsal and performance in teaching and learning through tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, T. B. T., Newton, J. & Crabbe, D. (2015). Preparing for tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms: Teachers in action. In M. Thomas & H. Reinders (Eds.), TBLT in Asia: Challenges and opportunities (pp.170–188). London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, T. B. T., Newton, J., & Crabbe, D. (in preparation). Rehearsal and performance in task-based language teaching.
Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pica, T., Kanagy, R., & Falodun, J. (1993). Choosing and using communication tasks for second language instruction and research. In G. Crookes & S. M. Gass (Eds.), Tasks and language learning: Integrating theory and practice (pp.9–34). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Prabhu, N. S. (1992). The dynamics of the language lesson. TESOL Quarterly, 26(2), 225–241. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Richards, J. C. (2008). Second language teacher education today. RELC, 39(2), 158–177. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. London: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Richards, L., & Morse, J. M. (2007). Readme first for a user’s guide to qualitative methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Robinson, P. (2001). Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: Exploring interactions in a componential framework. Applied Linguistics, 22(1), 27–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Samuda, V. (2001). Guiding the relationships between form and meaning during task performance: The role of the teacher. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching and testing (pp.119–140). Harlow: Pearson Education.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Samuda, V., & Bygate, M. (2008). Tasks in second language learning. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Seedhouse, P. (1999). Task-based interaction. ELT Journal, 13(3), 149–156. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Skehan, P. (2003). Task-based instruction. Language Teaching, 36, 1–14. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Stake, R. E. (2005). Qualitative case studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp.443–446). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thomas, M., & Reinders, H. (Eds.). (2015). TBLT in Asia: Challenges and opportunities. London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tomlinson, B., & Bao, D. (2004). The contributions of Vietnamese learners of English to ELT methodology. Language Teaching Research, 8(2), 199–222. https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168804lr140oa Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, E. Y. (2007). TBLT-Innovation in primary school English language teaching in Mainland China. In K. Van den Branden, K. Van Gorp, & M. Verhelst (Eds.), Tasks in action: Task-based language education from a classroom-based perspective (pp.68–91). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (7)

Cited by seven other publications

Newton, Jonathan
2025. The coursebook in TBLT. In Broadening the Horizon of TBLT [Task-Based Language Teaching, 17], ► pp. 60 ff. DOI logo
Spada, Nina
2025. Reflecting on task-based language teaching from an Instructed SLA perspective. In Broadening the Horizon of TBLT [Task-Based Language Teaching, 17], ► pp. 164 ff. DOI logo
Tran, Nam Giang, Xuan Van Ha & Ngoc Hai Tran
2023. EFL Reformed Curriculum in Vietnam: An Understanding of Teachers’ Cognitions and Classroom Practices. RELC Journal 54:1 ► pp. 166 ff. DOI logo
Reynolds, Barry Lee, Xuan Van Ha, Melissa H. Yu & Gwo-Jen Hwang
2022. English Textbook Selection in Taiwan: Voices of Two Book Sales Representatives. Education Research International 2022 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Van den Branden, Kris & Koen Van Gorp
2021. Implementing task-based language education in primary education. Language Teaching for Young Learners 3:1 ► pp. 3 ff. DOI logo
Nguyen, Bao Trang Thi & Jonathan Newton
2020. Learner proficiency and EFL learning through task rehearsal and performance. Language Teaching Research 24:5 ► pp. 588 ff. DOI logo
Newton, Jonathan & Bao Trang Thi Nguyen
2019. Task repetition and the public performance of speaking tasks in EFL classes at a Vietnamese high school. Language Teaching for Young Learners 1:1 ► pp. 34 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 december 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.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue