SPEECH FLUENCY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Speech fluency is an essential component of communicative competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. However, many language learners experience difficulties maintaining continuous speech, selecting appropriate vocabulary in real time, and expressing ideas without excessive hesitation. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) offers a communicative approach in which learners use the target language to achieve meaningful outcomes. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of TBLT in developing EFL learners’ speech fluency by comparing task-based instruction with conventional speaking instruction. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control-group design is proposed. Participants, consisting of [number] university EFL students, are assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group receives instruction through communicative tasks, including information-gap activities, problem-solving tasks, decision-making activities, and oral narratives, while the control group follows the regular speaking curriculum. Speech performance is evaluated using measures of speed fluency, breakdown fluency, and repair fluency. Quantitative data are analysed using appropriate inferential statistical procedures. The study is expected to contribute to a more precise understanding of how structured task-based practice can support oral fluency development in university-level EFL education. The final version will report the empirical findings obtained from the actual experiment.