In e na ional Jou nal o Social Science and Human Resea ch
ISSN (p in ): 2644-0679, ISSN (online): 2644-0695
Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025
DOI: 10.47191/ijssh / 8-i10-41, Impac ac o - 8.007
Page No: 7883-7886
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7883
Applying Task-Based Language Teaching o Imp o e Lis ening and Speaking
Skills o Vie namese High School S uden s: A Resea ch P oposal
Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga
Nguyen Xuan On High School Dien Chau Dis ic , Nghe An P o ince, Vie Nam
ABSTRACT: De eloping lis ening and speaking skills emains a majo challenge in Vie nam’s exam-o ien ed English class ooms,
whe e g amma and eading domina e ins uc ion. This s udy p oposes a quasi-expe imen al mixed-me hods design o examine he
e ec i eness o Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in imp o ing hese skills among 120 G ade 11 s uden s o e 12 weeks.
The expe imen al g oup will ecei e TBLT ins uc ion emphasizing au hen ic communica ion, while he con ol g oup ollows he
adi ional p esen a ion–p ac ice–p oduc ion (PPP) model. Da a will be collec ed h ough p e- and pos - es s, obse a ions,
ques ionnai es, and in e iews, and analyzed using bo h quan i a i e and quali a i e me hods. I is expec ed ha TBLT will
signi ican ly enhance s uden s’ lis ening comp ehension, speaking luency, and mo i a ion. The indings will con ibu e o he
heo e ical unde s anding o ask-based pedagogy, p o ide p ac ical insigh s o eache s in exam-d i en con ex s, and in o m policy
di ec ions o communica i e English cu iculum e o m in Vie nam.
KEYWORDS: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT); lis ening comp ehension; speaking luency; communica i e compe ence;
English cu iculum e o m
1. INTRODUCTION
English educa ion in Vie nam has unde gone signi ican e o m in he pas wo decades as pa o he Na ional Fo eign Language
P ojec , which aims o imp o e communica i e compe ence among s uden s. Howe e , despi e hese policy e o s, Vie namese
high school lea ne s con inue o s uggle wi h lis ening and speaking skills. Ins uc ion in mos schools emains eache -cen e ed,
wi h an emphasis on g amma , ocabula y, and eading o p epa e s uden s o high-s akes exams. As a esul , s uden s o en achie e
limi ed o al p o iciency and lack he con idence o communica e in eal-li e con ex s.
Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has eme ged as a p omising app oach o add ess his gap. Roo ed in communica i e
language eaching, TBLT emphasizes meaning- ocused communica ion and eal-wo ld ask comple ion a he han o e
memo iza ion o isola ed g amma d ills. By engaging lea ne s in au hen ic asks such as discussions, p oblem-sol ing, o p ojec
wo k, TBLT encou ages nego ia ion o meaning and p o ides oppo uni ies o bo h inpu and ou pu p ac ice.
Al hough TBLT has been success ully implemen ed in e ia y and p i a e educa ion se ings in Vie nam, esea ch a he high school
le el emains limi ed. Mos exis ing s udies (e.g., Nguyen & New on, 2019; Le, 2018) ocus on uni e si y s uden s, lea ing a gap
in unde s anding how TBLT unc ions wi hin he cons ain s o public seconda y schools—la ge classes, exam p essu e, and limi ed
esou ces.
This s udy aims o add ess ha gap by in es iga ing how TBLT can imp o e lis ening comp ehension and speaking luency among
Vie namese high school s uden s. I also seeks o explo e lea ne a i udes and eache pe cep ions o TBLT implemen a ion. The
indings a e expec ed o p o ide empi ical e idence o adap ing TBLT o exam-o ien ed con ex s and o in o m eache aining
and cu iculum design in Vie nam.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Theo e ical Backg ound o TBLT
TBLT e ol ed om he communica i e app oach, ocusing on using language as a ool o accomplishing eal-wo ld asks.
Acco ding o Long (1985), a ask is “a piece o wo k unde aken o onesel o o o he s, eely o o some ewa d.” Willis (1996)
p oposes a h ee-phase ask cycle—p e- ask, ask cycle, and language ocus—emphasizing bo h meaning and o m. Skehan (1998)
ames asks as balancing luency, accu acy, and complexi y, a guing ha epea ed ask pe o mance allows lea ne s o in e nalize
linguis ic pa e ns while main aining communica i e pu pose.
Applying Task-Based Language Teaching o Imp o e Lis ening and Speaking Skills o Vie namese High School
S uden s: A Resea ch P oposal
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7884
2.2. TBLT and O al Communica ion Skills
Speaking and lis ening a e closely in e wined in communica i e compe ence. S udies by Byga e (2001) and Samuda & Byga e
(2008) show ha ask-based in e ac ion p omo es luency h ough nego ia ion o meaning and sca olding. Lea ne s de elop he
abili y o manage discou se, use compensa o y s a egies, and p oduce ex ended u ns. Resea ch in Asian con ex s (e.g., Lee, 2016)
con i ms ha TBLT inc eases speaking luency and con idence, e en among s uden s wi h limi ed p o iciency.
Fo lis ening, Field (2008) and Vande g i & Goh (2012) highligh he shi om passi e comp ehension o ac i e, s a egic
lis ening. Task-based lis ening encou ages lea ne s o p ocess meaning o a communica i e goal—such as iden i ying de ails o
sol ing a p oblem— a he han answe ing comp ehension ques ions mechanically. S udies in I an (Rahimpou , 2010) and Hong
Kong (Ca less, 2007) demons a e ha TBLT-based lis ening asks os e g ea e engagemen and comp ehension accu acy.
2.3. Mo i a ion and Lea ne Au onomy
A signi ican ad an age o TBLT is i s impac on lea ne mo i a ion. Do nyei and Skehan (2003) a gue ha meaning ul, goal-
o ien ed asks enhance in insic mo i a ion by gi ing lea ne s owne ship o hei lea ning. In Vie nam, Pham (2020) epo ed ha
ask-based p ojec wo k inc eased s uden s’ pa icipa ion and posi i e a i udes owa d English lea ning. G oup collabo a ion in
asks p omo es pee in e ac ion and educes anxie y, which a e o en ba ie s in adi ional classes.
2.4. Challenges in Implemen ing TBLT
Despi e i s ad an ages, implemen ing TBLT in Asian EFL con ex s emains challenging. Ca less (2004, 2007) iden i ied h ee majo
cons ain s: la ge classes, exam-o ien ed cu icula, and eache s’ limi ed aining in communica i e me hods. Vie namese eache s
o en equa e communica i e eaching wi h lack o s uc u e and ea ha i may no p epa e s uden s adequa ely o g amma -based
exams. Mo eo e , limi ed class oom ime and lack o au hen ic ma e ials hinde ask design.
2.5. Resea ch Gap
Exis ing s udies con i m TBLT’s po en ial o imp o e communica i e compe ence, bu empi ical esea ch in Vie namese seconda y
schools is sca ce. Few s udies ha e explo ed how TBLT can be sys ema ically in eg a ed in o high school class ooms while aligning
wi h cu icula goals. This esea ch he e o e aims o e alua e he e ec i eness o TBLT o de eloping lis ening and speaking
skills in his speci ic educa ional con ex , p o iding bo h heo e ical and pedagogical insigh s.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Resea ch Design
This s udy will adop a quasi-expe imen al mixed-me hods design, combining quan i a i e and quali a i e app oaches. Two in ac
G ade 11 classes om a public high school in Hanoi will be selec ed: one se ing as he expe imen al g oup (TBLT) and he o he
as he con ol g oup (PPP app oach). The in e en ion will las 12 weeks, consis ing o wo 45-minu e lessons pe week.
3.2. Pa icipan s
Pa icipan s will include app oxima ely 120 s uden s aged 16–17, ep esen ing p e-in e media e (A2–B1) p o iciency le els. Bo h
g oups will be augh by eache s wi h simila quali ica ions and expe ience o minimize ins uc o bias. Consen will be ob ained
om s uden s, pa en s, and school adminis a o s.
3.3. Ins uc ional T ea men
• Expe imen al G oup (TBLT): S uden s will engage in communica i e asks ollowing Willis’s (1996) ask cycle. Each lesson
includes p e- ask ac i i ies ( opic in oduc ion and ocabula y), ask cycle (pai /g oup ask and epo ing), and pos - ask ocus on
use ul language o ms. Tasks include ole plays, in o ma ion-gap ac i i ies, and p oblem-sol ing discussions.
• Con ol G oup (PPP): S uden s will ollow he con en ional sequence o p esen a ion, p ac ice, and p oduc ion, ocusing on
ex book dialogues and g amma d ills.
3.4. Da a Collec ion Ins umen s
1. Lis ening Tes : Adap ed om CEFR-based assessmen ma e ials o measu e comp ehension accu acy and s a egy use.
2. Speaking Tes : An o al in e iew and a pai ed discussion a ed by wo ained a e s using a ub ic co e ing luency, accu acy,
and p onuncia ion.
3. Ques ionnai e: Measu es s uden mo i a ion and a i udes owa d English lea ning be o e and a e he in e en ion.
4. Obse a ions and In e iews: Class oom obse a ions will documen in e ac ion pa e ns and engagemen ; semi-s uc u ed
in e iews wi h s uden s and eache s will p o ide quali a i e insigh s.
3.5. Da a Analysis
Quan i a i e da a ( es sco es and ques ionnai e esponses) will be analyzed using SPSS. Pai ed-sample - es s will compa e p e-
and pos - es sco es wi hin g oups, and independen -sample - es s will compa e pos - es sco es be ween g oups. E ec sizes
Applying Task-Based Language Teaching o Imp o e Lis ening and Speaking Skills o Vie namese High School
S uden s: A Resea ch P oposal
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7885
(Cohen’s d) will de e mine he magni ude o imp o emen . Quali a i e da a will be analyzed hema ically o iangula e quan i a i e
indings.
3.6 Validi y, Reliabili y, and E hics
• Reliabili y: Lis ening and speaking es s will be pilo ed wi h a sepa a e g oup o es ablish eliabili y coe icien s. In e - a e
eliabili y will be ensu ed o speaking assessmen s.
• Validi y: Task designs and ub ics will be e iewed by ELT expe s o ensu e con en alidi y.
• E hical conside a ions: Pa icipa ion will be olun a y, wi h anonymi y gua an eed. All da a will be used solely o esea ch
pu poses.
4. EXPECTED FINDINGS AND SIGNIFICANCE
Based on he ex ensi e li e a u e on Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and he p oposed esea ch design, he s udy is expec ed
o yield he ollowing esul s:
4.1. Imp o emen s in Lis ening Comp ehension
I is an icipa ed ha s uden s in he expe imen al g oup will ou pe o m hose in he con ol g oup on pos - es measu es o lis ening
comp ehension. The ask-based app oach, which in eg a es au hen ic lis ening ma e ials and goal-o ien ed asks, is expec ed o help
s uden s de elop bo h bo om-up (decoding sounds and wo ds) and op-down (d awing on con ex and p io knowledge) lis ening
s a egies. Lea ne s a e also expec ed o demons a e g ea e con idence in lis ening o eal-li e spoken English, mo ing beyond he
sc ip ed, o m- ocused lis ening passages o en used in adi ional class ooms.
4.2. Enhancemen s in Speaking P o iciency
The expe imen al g oup is expec ed o show signi ican gains in speaking luency, measu ed in e ms o speech a e and educed
hesi a ion phenomena. Accu acy (e.g., g amma ical co ec ness, app op ia e ocabula y use) is also likely o imp o e, al hough
luency gains may be mo e p onounced han accu acy due o he meaning- ocused na u e o TBLT. Inc eased oppo uni ies o
nego ia ion o meaning, in e ac ion, and epea ed ask pe o mance a e p edic ed o os e imp o emen s in bo h luency and
complexi y o spoken language.
4.3. Posi i e Impac on Mo i a ion and A i udes
S uden s in he expe imen al g oup a e expec ed o epo highe le els o mo i a ion and mo e posi i e a i udes owa d lea ning
English. The meaning ul, in e ac i e na u e o TBLT asks is likely o c ea e a sense o ele ance and engagemen , educing anxie y
and os e ing enjoymen in he class oom. Ques ionnai e esul s a e expec ed o show ha lea ne s pe cei e TBLT as mo e use ul
and enjoyable compa ed wi h he PPP app oach.
4.4. Teache and S uden Pe cep ions o Feasibili y
In e iews and obse a ions a e expec ed o e eal bo h oppo uni ies and challenges in implemen ing TBLT in Vie namese high
schools. Teache s may acknowledge he bene i s o TBLT o s uden engagemen and skill de elopmen bu also aise conce ns
abou ime managemen , class oom con ol in la ge classes, and alignmen wi h exam equi emen s. S uden s may highligh ha
TBLT asks p o ide mo e au hen ic p ac ice, bu some may ini ially s uggle wi h ask ins uc ions o g oup collabo a ion.
4.5. Po en ial Challenges
While imp o emen s a e expec ed, i is also an icipa ed ha some limi a ions will a ise:
• No all s uden s may ully adap o he shi om eache -cen e ed o lea ne -cen e ed ins uc ion.
• Time cons ain s wi hin he cu iculum may limi he dep h o ask cycles.
• Teache s may need addi ional suppo in assessmen and eedback s a egies in TBLT con ex s.
5. DISCUSSION, SIGNIFICANCE, AND CONCLUSION (CONDENSED VERSION)
This s udy is expec ed o con ibu e o TBLT esea ch by ex ending i s applica ion o Vie namese high schools—an unde explo ed,
exam-d i en con ex . Th ough measu ing lis ening and speaking ou comes, i p o ides empi ical suppo o in e ac ionis and
sociocul u al heo ies o language lea ning, con i ming ha TBLT can p omo e communica i e compe ence e en in esou ce-limi ed
se ings.
Pedagogically, he esea ch o e s p ac ical models o communica i e asks adap able o local class ooms—such as ole plays,
p ojec s, and in o ma ion-gap ac i i ies—demons a ing ha ask-based lea ning can complemen , a he han eplace, g amma
ins uc ion. The indings may also guide eache aining p og ams o s eng hen ask design, class oom managemen , and
pe o mance-based assessmen , he eby b idging he gap be ween na ional policy goals and class oom eali ies.
Applying Task-Based Language Teaching o Imp o e Lis ening and Speaking Skills o Vie namese High School
S uden s: A Resea ch P oposal
IJSSHR, Volume 08 Issue 10 Oc obe 2025 www.ijssh .in Page 7886
A he policy le el, he s udy p o ides e idence-based ecommenda ions o in eg a ing TBLT in o Vie nam’s Na ional Fo eign
Language P ojec , including cu iculum and assessmen e o m aligned wi h in e na ional s anda ds.
Despi e limi a ions ela ed o quasi-expe imen al design and sho in e en ion du a ion, he s udy lays g oundwo k o u u e
esea ch on long- e m and echnology-suppo ed TBLT in Vie namese and egional con ex s.
In conclusion, he s udy holds heo e ical, pedagogical, and policy signi icance. I aims o demons a e ha TBLT can meaning ully
enhance lis ening and speaking skills, mo i a e lea ne s, and con ibu e o communica i e English eaching e o m in Vie nam’s
seconda y educa ion sys em.
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