DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE THROUGH TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN SECONDARY SCHOOL EFL CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The continuing shift from knowledge-oriented foreign language instruction towards the practical use of language has made communicative competence one of the central concerns of contemporary English language education. Yet the ability to reproduce grammatical rules, complete vocabulary exercises, or recognize correct linguistic forms does not automatically enable a learner to participate successfully in spontaneous communication. This discrepancy is particularly significant in secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, where limited lesson time, mixed levels of proficiency, examination requirements, large classes, and learners’ reluctance to speak may restrict opportunities for purposeful interaction. The present study examines Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as a methodological framework for developing students’ communicative competence under these conditions. Rather than treating a task as an additional speaking exercise attached to a conventional lesson, the study approaches it as an organizing unit through which linguistic knowledge is activated in the process of solving a problem, exchanging information, reaching an agreement, making a decision, or producing another meaningful outcome.