International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Can the Task-Based Learning Improve Students’ Communicative Competence?
Ni Putu Somawati, Ni Wayan Wahyu Astuti, I Nyoman Kanca, I Made Rai Jaya Widanta

Abstract
There have been two contradictive conclusions whether (or not) task-based language teaching (TBLT) effective to improve students’ communicative competence, i.e. effective and not effective. The dichotomy was promoted by a number of differences in aspects of research undertaken, such as location, subject, and object of the research. This empirical study was aimed at investigating effectiveness of TBLT for vocational college students. Two groups of research participant (experimental and control groups, each of which consists of 26 female people) were involved in the research. Both groups were given pre-test or T1which is the same as T2 prior to treatment to see each group basic competence. The treatment which used TBLT model and approach was undertaken for experiment class for two sessions, while control class was taught with conventional model. T1 and T2 were designed in form of an Indonesian-English translation test which focused on simple past tense sentences with verb. Test result was scored in terms of the use of simple past tense sentences (positive, negative and interrogative forms). Students’ mistake on the use of simple past tense pattern was scored minus 1, while the used of other aspects, such as conjunction, preposition, article, noun, adjective, and adverb phrase were scored minus 0,5. Based on statistical analysis, it was found that minimum and maximum score for experiment group on T1 were 1,3 and 6,3 respectively, while score of control group were 1,3 and 6,0 respectively. Up on the treatment, experiment group competence exceeded the control group with percentage increase of 1%. Minimum and maximum T2 score of control group were 3,0 and 8,0, while score of experiment group were 6,0 and 8,6 respectively. This finding proved that TBLT was effective to improve student competence even though experiment group was given only a-two-session learning. Additionally, they could show better strategic, sociolinguistic, discourse and linguistic competence than the control group.

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