The Effects Of Planning On Language Performance In Task-basked Learning

One of the important and urgent issues in Task-based learning is how to effectively develop classroom learners' interlanguage and achieve a balance between communicative competence and linguistic knowledge when they are performing different tasks. Some research findings have proved that planning can see ease the processing load of a given task and have an effect on language performance. It is necessary to explore exactly happens during planning period.This study investigated the effects of pre-task planning on second language performance in terms of accuracy, complexity and fluency. 20 Senior 1 Middle School students conducted 6 different tasks belonging to three types - situational dialogue, information gap and decision-making task under two conditions. In no planning condition, subjects were asked to perform the tasks immediately after reading the instructions. In the pre-task planning condition, subjects were given 5 minutes to plan the tasks in advance and required to complete the tasks within a limited span of time.Transcripts of oral production were evaluated on seven measure covering the areas of accuracy, complexity and fluency. The findings revealed that planners achieved significantly greater accuracy and fluency than noplanners. No grater complexity was achieved because of their low level of English proficiency and their interpretations of tasks. The effects of planning with different tasks were selective. A more facilitative role for planning was found in cognitively more demanding decision-making task. Data collected from interviews reported that subjected planned differently with different tasks and employed some planning strategies.Based on these findings, there are two main implications: firstly, planning should be operated differently according to task goal, task difficulty and learners' ability; secondly, tasks integrated different skills should be designed to form a task chain to facilitate the IL development.