Employing TBLT at a Military-Service Academy in Korea: Learners’ Reactions to and Necessary Adaptation of TBLT

Abstract

The necessity to adapt theoretical second language pedagogies to a context of instruction has been argued in the literature for a long time. This case study introduces an attempt to realize a context approach (Bax, 2003) to Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) implemented at a Korean military-service academy. Considering the alleged need for studies that investigate learners’ reaction to TBLT in actual English classrooms, an Action Research project was conducted at this institution. Based on the data collected through two surveys of 80 students, interviews with 25 students, video recordings of 10 lessons and the teacher’s observation of the course throughout one semester, this study identifies several challenges for employing TBLT in this EFL context such as the learners’ lack of L2 interactions and attention to feedback. This paper discusses ways to adapt TBLT to the English courses offered at Korean militaryservice academies while cautioning against excessive optimism for the effects of TBLT in some EFL contexts. The findings would contribute to understanding the reality of English classrooms at a Korean college and drawing implications for designing English programs suitable for EFL college students.