The Application Of Task-Based Language Teaching Approach In ESP Teaching

TBLT,originating from the 1980s and emphasizing "learning by doing" is one form of communicative language teaching approach.Rooted in the development of language theories and language learning theories,it has now formed a systematical framework and become an increasingly salient topic in second language teaching.In china,TBLT is also widely adopted with the purpose of providing the learners with opportunities of practice which focus on the "meaning" rather than on the "form" of language.TBLT is also applied in ESP teaching,which is a branch of ELT.However,many practitioners only have vague ideas of its theoretical bases and practical ways.And there is also a lack of empirical studies.So this thesis attempts to find theoretically the relationship between TBLT approach and ESP teaching,and introduce practical ways of applying the approach based on the results of a survey study.The thesis first reviews the origin and theoretical bases of TBLT,the features and principles of it as well as the way of implementation.Then,it concludes the origin and development of the ESP teaching and the nature of it.Through the theoretical analysis,it is not difficult to find that the principle of "learner-centeredness" in TBLT can embody the importance of learners' needs in ESP teaching;while the emphasis on "context" and the learning settings can meet the needs of developing ESP learners' comprehensive ability of using English.These are the reasons why TBLT is applicable in ESP teaching.The author conducted a survey study on the application of TBLT in ESP teaching. The results show that most of the subiects think it is necessary to take ESP courses for the future career.And they also think TBLT can inspire their learning interest and improve their abilities of using English.So the practical situation also indicates that TBLT can play a positive role in ESP teaching.Based on the above theoretical analysis and the results of the survey,the thesis puts forward a working definition of"task",and the steps of designing ESP tasks and implementing tasks.A sample of implementing TBLT is also given to illustrate the issue clearly.Finally,the thesis points out some relevant factor in implementing TBLT,such as the teacher and learners' roles,the assessment of the learners' performance and the context of teaching,which directly or indirectly influence the success of TBLT application in ESP teaching.