The development of an English instructional model using the content-based and the task-based instruction to enhance English reading comprehension ability and task performance of engineering students
Abstract:
The purposes of this research were: 1) to develop the instructional model using the content-based instruction and the task-based instruction to enhance English reading comprehension and task performance of undergraduate engineering students, 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional model through experts validation by implementing such a model in class. The research procedure comprised three phases. The first phase was the development of the instructional model which included five stages: (1) studying, analyzing and synthesizing the content-based and the task-based instruction and their underlying theories and approaches namely schema theory, second language acquisition, cognitive theory and constructivism theories, (2) writing the pedagogical principles of instructional model using the content-based and task-based instruction, (3) specifying the objectives and expected learning outcomes, (4) developing the steps of instructional model, (5) validating the instructional model by experts. The comments and suggestions from the experts and the results of try-out were used to refine the developed instructional model. The second phase was the construction of the research instruments: English reading comprehension test, task performance test and learning dairies. The third phase was the validation of the instructional model by implementing to the samples who were 60 engineering students taking Technical English course, the academic year 2011. Thirty students were purposely selected as an experimental group and another group of 30 students were a control group. The experimental group was taught using the content-based and task-based instruction but the control group was taught by conventional teaching. The data were collected from English reading comprehension tests and task performance tests. For both group, the scores of pre and post tests were compared. The data were collected and analyzed by using t-test. The findings revealed that the instructional model based on the content-based and task-based instruction was effective in developing learners English reading comprehension and task performance since the posttest scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at the significant level .05. Moreover, the students in the experimental group were able to transfer their knowledge from reading to do the tasks and they also had positive attitudes towards the developed instructional process.