Improving english speaking abilities of ESL learners through communicative task-based instruction

Speaking is one of the most exploited skills. However, despite the many endeavors conducted by English teachers, speaking proficiency remains poor among tertiary students. This qualitative-phenomenological study aimed to determine the experiences of the students on the use of communicative task-based instruction in improving their speaking abilities. Using the focus group discussion, the researcher found that generally, the participants believed that the communicative task-based instruction provided them opportunities to enhance their communicative abilities; let them overcome the fear of speaking; gave them a lot of fun; and allowed them to apply the tasks even outside their classrooms. The participants suggested that exposure to real conversation tasks might be done; design individual tasks would be interesting, and that technology might be used in doing the tasks. Thorough discussions and conclusion were provided.