Impact of Online Task-Based Language Teaching on Criterion-Referenced Scores of Thai EFL Learners
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This mixed-methods study compared online and on-site task-based language teaching (TBLT) for an occupationally relevant giving-directions task. Eighty second-year English for International Communication majors (CEFR A2-B1) at a university in Bangkok were randomly assigned to online (n = 40) or on-site (n = 40) conditions. The task and eight criterion-referenced performance indicators were grounded in a prior task-based needs analysis that identified giving directions as a critical workplace task for Thai university graduates (Soongpankhao & Lambert, 2026). Both groups completed a pretest, a 90-minute TBLT module, and a posttest. Online participants used Google Meet and digital maps, whereas on-site participants interacted face to face with printed maps; consequently, the study compares the two implemented instructional packages rather than isolating communication channel from material format. Both groups improved substantially (online d = 1.52; on-site d = 1.89). On-site participants obtained higher posttest scores by 0.88 points on the eight-point checklist, t(78) = 3.45, p = .001, d = 0.69. Criterion-level contrasts favored the on-site condition for acknowledging the customer problem, clarifying transportation mode, explaining routes through landmarks, and confirming understanding; the online condition was stronger for quantifying distance. Questionnaire results indicated higher ratings for social interaction, immediate feedback, and technical ease on site, while online learners valued flexibility but frequently reported connectivity problems. The findings show that overall scores can conceal criterion-specific differences and support modality-sensitive task design, interactional scaffolding, and equitable technical provision.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Aubrey, S., & Philpott, A. (2023). Second language task engagement in face-to-face and synchronous video-based computer-mediated communication modes: Performances and perceptions. System, 115, Article 103069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103069
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE.
Durongbhandhu, N., & Suwanasilp, D. (2023). Computer-assisted English lessons for logistics with task-based language teaching for enhancing receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of EFL Thai learners. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 16(1), 47–74. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/article/view/263432
Ellis, R. (2019). Towards a modular language curriculum for using tasks. Language Teaching Research, 23(4), 454–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168818765315
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A.-G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
Giraldo, F. (2020). Task-based language assessment: Implications for the language classroom. GIST – Education and Learning Research Journal, 21, 209–224. https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.828
González-Lloret, M. (2020). Collaborative tasks for online language teaching. Foreign Language Annals, 53(2), 260–269. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12466
González-Lloret, M., & Ortega, L. (Eds.). (2014). Technology-mediated TBLT: Researching technology and tasks. John Benjamins.
Lai, C., & Li, G. (2011). Technology and task-based language teaching: A critical review. CALICO Journal, 28(2), 498–521. https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.28.2.498-521
Long, M. H. (2015). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. Wiley-Blackwell.
McDonough, K., & Chaikitmongkol, W. (2007). Teachers’ and learners’ reactions to a task-based EFL course in Thailand. TESOL Quarterly, 41(1), 107–132. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00042.x
McNamara, T. (1996). Measuring second language performance. Longman.
Norris, J. M. (2009). Task-based teaching and testing. In M. H. Long & C. J. Doughty (Eds.), The handbook of language teaching (pp. 578–594). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444315783.ch30
Soongpankhao, W. (2023). Developing fully-online TBLT for customer relation skills in a university in Thailand: From needs analysis to evaluation [Doctoral dissertation, Curtin University]. Curtin Research Publications. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95489
Soongpankhao, W., Aubrey, S., & Lambert, C. (2023). Impact of goal-tracking on engagement in language use in an online TBLT module for Thai university students. System, 119, Article 103184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103184
Soongpankhao, W., & Lambert, C. (2026). Task-based needs analysis as a foundation for TBLT course design: Evidence from Thai university EFL learners. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 8(1), 157–179. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.260508
Stickler, U. (2022). Technology and language teaching. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108874403
Winke, P., & Goertler, S. (2008). Did we forget someone? Students’ computer access and literacy for CALL. CALICO Journal, 25(3), 482–509.
