Teachers' Perceptions of Task‐Based Language Teaching in English Classrooms in Taiwanese Junior High Schools

TLDR

The Taiwan Ministry of Education has integrated a communicative approach into its new English curriculum, positioning task‑based language teaching (TBLT) as a popular method, yet few East Asian case studies examine its implementation. This study explores junior high school English teachers’ perceptions of TBLT in central Taiwan, focusing on their understanding and the feasibility of the approach in the local context. Using a mixed‑methods design, the authors surveyed 136 teachers from 30 schools and conducted semi‑structured interviews with four experienced teachers to gather data. The findings reveal insights into the feasibility of TBLT in Taiwan and contribute to the broader literature on communicative approaches in East Asian contexts.

Abstract

After introducing new curriculum guidelines during education reform, the Taiwan Ministry of Education has taken the lead in integrating a communicative approach into the new English language curriculum. Task‐based language teaching ( TBLT ) is viewed as a realisation of communicative language teaching and is one of the most popular English language teaching ( ELT ) methods. In East Asian contexts, only a limited number of case studies focus on TBLT . This article applies a mixed methods approach to explore junior high school English teachers’ perceptions of TBLT in central Taiwan. The themes to be addressed are teachers’ perceptions and understandings of TBLT and teachers’ views on the feasibility of TBLT in the Taiwanese context, with a special focus on ELT in junior high schools. The main source of data is a survey with 136 respondents from 30 junior high schools in four counties in central Taiwan. The article also draws on supplementary qualitative data from semistructured interviews with four teachers who have various teaching experiences. The article offers insights into the feasibility of TBLT in Taiwan and enriches the current literature on TBLT —or in a broader sense the communicative approach—in the East Asian context.