Impact of Task-supported Language Teaching and Post-task Self-reflection on the Development of L۲ Reading Comprehension

Task-supported language teaching, proposed as a more suitable communicative approach for exam-oriented contexts, has not been research enough with regard to its impact on L۲ reading comprehension, particularly when combined with post-task self-reflection. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of task-supported language teaching and a post-task self-reflection technique on the reading proficiency of ۶۰ intermediate Iranian EFL learners. The experimental groups engaged in interactive reading tasks over ۱۲ weeks, with the task-supported language teaching with self-reflection group additionally writing guided self-reflections after each task. Reading proficiency was measured using IELTS reading tests as pre-test and post-test. ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference among the groups on the post-test indicating that the task-supported language teaching only group significantly outperformed the control group. The task-supported language teaching with self-reflection group had the highest level of performance on the posttest. Qualitative analysis of the written reflections revealed that learners primarily focused on lexical gaps and time constraints as challenges during the reading process. The findings suggest that task-supported language teaching is an effective approach for enhancing L۲ reading comprehension.

کلیدواژه ها:

EFL learners ، Interactive tasks ، Reading comprehension ، Self-reflection ، Task-supported language teaching