The Analysis Of Material Based On The Task Language Teaching Approach

A number of second language acquisition researchers and foreign language researchers have been interested in studying the task language teaching from different perspectives. Obviously, the task language teaching is popular in the foreign language research. New English Curriculum Standard explicitly indicates that we should advocate task language teaching approach. As the carrier of teaching approach, English materials should adequately correspond to it. English material for junior school Go for It! published by People Education Press, is compiled according to the need of New English Curriculum Standard and task language teaching approach. Therefore, the thesis aims at analyzing how Go for It! reflects task language teaching approach in order to promote the application and development of the task language teaching approach material and make the material serve for the teaching.The thesis poses three research questions that how the English material for junior school grade 8(1) Go for It! published by People Education Press reflects the task language teaching approach, together with how it reflects the advanced approach from perspectives of teachers as well as contrast with previous version.With regard to the first question, it will solve it from the following aspects. First, the thesis will analyze the types of tasks and distributions in materials. Second, it will analyze topics, language structure and communicative function. Third, it will analyze the compiling pattern of tasks in each unit in the material. Forth, it takes the writing task for example to analyze whether it accords with task -based language teaching model. In addition, except the inner analysis, the thesis recurs to the questionnaire to analyze what teachers think of the material. Last but not least, compared with the old version of Go for It!, the thesis will explore how the new version expresses the advanced teaching approach. With the aid of inner and outer analysis, the thesis will find the main characteristics and problems existing in the material, so that it is beneficial to improve the English material, serve the English teaching and learning.Through analysis, the thesis comes to a conclusion that Go for It! embodies the task -based language teaching approach and it meets the requirement of New English Curriculum Standard. As for the characteristics of types and distributions of tasks, they give expression to the ladder-like, variety of tasks, all-sidedness of skill goals, enjoyment, the openness of outcomes and experience. Furthermore, the material takes into consideration of the learning of both communicative functions and language structures with subjects as the main line as well as the tasks as the carrier. It builds on relationship between the linguistic form, communicative function and semantic meaning. With regards to the compiling pattern of tasks in each unit in the material, they are arranged in a spiral course. In addition, to some extent, the material accords with the task language teaching model taking the writing part for example. Through the contrast with the old version, tasks in the new version are more various, operable, authentic, interesting, progressive, comprehensive, close to life, more open of the answers to questions and the compiling pattern of tasks in new version is arranged in a spiral course. Beside, the new material increases the writing based on task language teaching. Through the questionnaire analysis, all investigated teachers agree that the answers of tasks are open, knowledge recurs and tasks are arranged in a spiral course. Due to the theoretical level and teaching practice, all investigated teachers differ with the following aspects to some extent:the task’s variety, ladder-like, comprehensiveness, authenticity, the integration among the language form, communicative function and language meaning and the spiral course of task arrangement. However, the material has some disadvantages. For instance, it is short of planning, reporting, analysis and exercise in writing tasks compared with Willis’s task language teaching Model. Besides, students living in rural areas are not familiar with some contents, illustrations in the material are not suitable for Chinese students. Therefore, material writers should revise these weaknesses. Teachers should make the utmost of the merits, meanwhile, they should also avoid the shortcomings of it.