The effects of task-based language teaching approach in teaching and learning of English reading and writing skills

Abstract

Gaining proficiency in English is crucial for every tertiary level student for success in academic and professional life. Reading and writing skills are cognitive skills which are considered to be fundamental for learning any language. It is noticeable at the tertiary level that many students have a lack of proficiency in reading and writing skills. Students are not out rightly comprehending the meaning of text; therefore, students are also suffering in their writing. Moreover, the instructor or the English teacher also finds some problems implementing the TBLT approach in the classroom due to the diversity of the student’s backgrounds. The aim of the study was to find out how the TBLT approach develops students’ reading and writing skills. Thus, the research implemented a mixed-method approach. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to gather data from five teachers and 30 students from two different private universities in Dhaka. Results revealed that teachers found the TBLT approach effective in developing students’ reading and writing skills while students deemed that different tasks helped them to utilize the English language to develop the reading and writing.