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The Effect of Task Based Language Learning (TBLL) on Developing Speaking Skills of Secondary School Learners in Pakistan

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of task based language learning on developing speaking skills of secondary level learners. To achieve this objective, a task based instructional programme consisted of four units of textbook of grade IX was developed. The students of IX grade of Islamabad district were the population of the study. Two groups experimental and control were randomly taken in a natural setting from a randomly selected school of Islamabad district. Both groups were pre and post-tested to determine the difference in their mean scores. Both groups were administered a teacher made speaking skill test as pre-test before starting intervention of treatment. The experimental group got treatment, while control group was taught conventionally for 45 days. Same teacher made speaking skill test was administered to both experimental and control groups as post-test after 45 days. Two tailed t-test was applied at 0.05 levels. The results of the present study showed statistically significant differences between mean scores of the experimental group subjects in term of speaking skills as the post-test scores of experimental group were noticeably higher than the scores of control group. The results of the study support the effectiveness of TBLL as a foreign language. The present study recommends that Pakistani teachers should adopt TBLL approach which is pragmatic, instead of struggling with obsolete traditional methods in second language acquisition.