Task-Based Language Teaching and EFL Oral Skills: A Pre-Post Study at Djelfa University

Abstract

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) necessitates effective communication in English; unlike in the global context, most learners struggle with fluency, accuracy, and confidence in addressing English speakers. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a practical approach to improving oral proficiency, with potential outcomes depending on the strategies employed. This paper explores how TBLT affects the process of the acquisition of oral communication in first-year EFL students enrolled in Djelfa University. Employing a one-group experimental design, 33 students were tested using pre- and post-tests, during which their scores were measured in relation to six criteria of oral communication: fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, interaction, and comprehension. The integration of qualitative classroom observation methodology with quantitative data provided a comprehensive understanding of student engagement and language use during the intervention period. Despite a limited sample size and the absence of a control group, the study demonstrates significant improvement across all examined dimensions, with the most pronounced advancements shown in fluency and interactive competence. The findings indicate that the application of communicative, meaningful activities enhances the facilitation of linguistic correctness and fluency, in addition to allowing learners confidence and autonomy in spoken English. The study paper contributes to the growing interest in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction, advising curriculum architects to integrate the task-based technique directly into the oral communication course to promote the acquisition of practical and functional language skills.   Highlights• Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) significantly improved first-year Algerian EFL students’ oral communication skills across all six measured dimensions, with vocabulary showing the largest gains and fluency and grammar demonstrating substantial improvement.• A mixed-methods approach combining pre-post testing with systematic classroom observation and error analysis revealed that immediate corrective feedback during task cycles, particularly recasts and clarification requests, effectively reduced morphological, syntactic, and lexical errors while enhancing interactive competence.• The study documents a comprehensive taxonomy of 30+ recurring communicative errors among novice EFL learners (including cross-linguistic interference from Arabic and French), providing empirical evidence for targeted pedagogical interventions within TBLT frameworks.• Findings demonstrate that meaning-oriented tasks (role-plays, problem-solving, debates) foster both linguistic accuracy and fluency in under-researched North African higher education contexts, though pronunciation gains remained modest, suggesting the need for supplementary phonetic training alongside communicative tasks.