The Effects Of Task-Based Instruction On Grammar Teaching To English Majors

Grammar is an indispensable aspect of language. It is also an important and difficult part in Chinese students' language learning. Traditionally, grammar is taught by 3Ps approach, in which teacher first teach some grammatical rules, and then students try to remember these rules. This approach proves to be ineffective and give both teachers and students much stress. A task-based approach is supposed to be an effective method in promoting learners' language competence. However, empirical studies of its application are rarely found in the field of grammar instruction, especially under Chinese EFL environment. In this thesis, a research was conducted in order to probe into the validity and feasibility of the task-based instruction (TBI) in grammar teaching. Sixty students participated in the experiment. There are thirty-one students in the experimental group and thirty-two students in the control group. Data was collected through questionnaires and language tests. SPSS software is used to make analysis of the data gained from the research. Results indicated that task-based instruction did better in improving learners' grammatical competence. It was also discovered that task-based instruction was significantly more effective than traditional 3Ps approach in developing learners' inter language. Task-based instruction also resulted in better affective factors and higher cognitive level.