The influence of task-based language teaching on the development of english reading skills in vulnerable adult learners

Authors

  • Andrea Alejandra Cevallos Valverde Universidad Indoamerica Author
  • Maria Augusta Heredia Quiroz Universidad Indoamerica Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53877/q09phd46

Keywords:

reading skills, vulnerable adults, english language teaching, technical training

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of task-based learning on the development of English reading skills in vulnerable adults enrolled in the RIOKUNA program at the Municipal Vocational Training Center in Riobamba, Ecuador. The main objective was to measure changes in participants' reading performance before and after a TBLT-based intervention. The methodology employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a single group, applied to 98 vulnerable adult learners who participated in 10 class sessions. A reading test adapted to the Cambridge A1-A2 format was used, focusing on functional and technical texts related to vocational training. The results showed a significant improvement in participants' reading performance. Additionally, an increase in students' motivation and self-efficacy toward reading in English was observed, suggesting that TBLT can be effective in teaching English in technical training contexts. This study contributes to the literature on language teaching for vulnerable adults and highlights the importance of adapting English language teaching to specific professional needs.

75 87

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Andrea Alejandra Cevallos Valverde, Universidad Indoamerica

    Universidad Indoamerica. Ecuador.

  • Maria Augusta Heredia Quiroz, Universidad Indoamerica

    Universidad Indoamerica. Ecuador.

References

Acala, J. J. (2023). Perceptions of grade 11 senior high school students on task-based language teaching in a hybrid oral communication class. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 47(3), 28–44. https://acortar.link/PVGM2V

Adjei-Mensah, S., Boakye, N. Y., & Masenge, A. (2023). Improving the reading proficiency of mature students through a task-based language teaching approach. Reading & Writing, 14(1), Article 406. https://acortar.link/5aICe2

Arias-Castrillón, D. H. (2020). Plantear y formular un problema de investigación: Un ejercicio de problematización. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios de Familia, 12(1), 133–149. https://acortar.link/ol01wx

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

Bandura, A. (2011). A social cognitive perspective on positive psychology. International Journal of Social Psychology, 26(1), 7–20. https://acortar.link/JVei1O

Bandura, A. (2011). Social cognitive theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 349–373). SAGE. https://acortar.link/kymcf3

Chen, S., & Wang, J. (2019). Effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach and language assessment on students’ competences in intensive reading course. English Language Teaching, 12(3), 119–138. https://acortar.link/MOB5cy

Day, R. R., & Park, J. S. (2005). Developing reading comprehension questions. Reading in a Foreign Language, 17(1), 60–73. https://acortar.link/GtDNcy

East, M. (2024). Taking communication to task once more—A further decade on. The Language Learning Journal. https://acortar.link/byJZ1n

Ellis, R., Skehan, P., Li, S., Shintani, N., & Lambert, C. (2019). Task-based language teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press. https://acortar.link/DHO9M5

Flynn, S., Brown, J., Johnson, A., & Rodger, S. (2011). Barriers to education for the marginalized adult learner. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 57(1), 43–58.

Gebremeskel, T. A., Bachore, M. M., & Bushisso, E. W. (2025). Multiple intelligence based tasks for enhancing reading motivation of university students in Ethiopia. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 14(2), 1548–1556. https://acortar.link/PJGSch

Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2019). Teaching and researching reading (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://acortar.link/0o7n5Y

Guevara Patiño, R., Verdesoto Arguello, A., & Castro Molina, N. E. (2016). Metodologías de investigación educativa (descriptivas, experimentales, participativas, y de investigación-acción). Recimundo, 4(3), 163–173. https://acortar.link/6AkVz

Herring, J. (2016). Defining vulnerability. In Vulnerable adults and the law. Oxford University Press. https://acortar.link/GrIMu7

Ismail, S. M., Wang, C., & Jamalyar, R. (2023). The impact of task-based instruction on learners’ reading comprehension, L2 grit, anxiety, and motivation for L2 reading. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8(1), Article 16. https://acortar.link/9Bj3hr

Johns, A. M., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1991). English for specific purposes: International in scope, specific in purpose. TESOL Quarterly, 25(2), 297–314. https://acortar.link/GZxHlo

Joressa Wordofa, Y., Gench, M., & Meressa Hadgu, A. (2025). The effect of task-based instruction on EFL learners’ literal, inferential, critical, and creative reading comprehension. The International Journal of Literacies, 32(2), 93–115. https://acortar.link/ck3tC1

Lu, S. (2025). The role of reading motivation and self-efficacy in enhancing EFL students’ reading achievement. Discover Education, 4, Article 452. https://acortar.link/RGPMW3

Ministerio del Trabajo del Ecuador. (2021). Acuerdo Ministerial Nro. MDT-2021-236: Reglamento de Formación y Titulación Artesanal para los Maestros de Taller de los Centros de Formación Artesanal. https://acortar.link/peOZ75

Nagua, V. (2023). Informe de investigación: Task-Based Learning Model for Improving Reading Proficiency (Tesis de maestría, Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi). Repositorio UTC. https://acortar.link/8WZqfH

Nagua, V. A., Nato-Sierra, C., Rosero-Olalla, E., Ruiz-Guangaje, C., & Flores-Hidalgo, M. (2025). Modelo de Aprendizaje Basado en Tareas para Mejorar la Competencia Lectora. CONECTIVIDAD, 6(1), 174–183. https://acortar.link/UJRrKe

Nguyen, T. T. N. (2022). The effects of task-based instruction on reading comprehension of non-English major students at a university in the Mekong Delta. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(4), 1–20. https://acortar.link/uR6u5o

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, Article 101860. https://acortar.link/RjfH4a

Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Longman. https://acortar.link/4kKX97

Wordofa, Y. J., Gencha, M. G., & Hadgu, A. M. (2025). Transforming reading self-efficacy in EFL classrooms: The role of task-based instruction. Ampersand, 15, 100236. https://acortar.link/y7Oxc3

Yu, H., Singh, C. K. S., & Mulyadi, D. (2025). The effects of task-based learning on English reading motivation among vocational college students. Training, Language and Culture, 9(3), 40–54. https://acortar.link/KgVUzj

Zhang, L., Ismail, L., Razali, F., & Ghazali, N. (2024). Effects of task feedback on EFL students’ reading self-efficacy. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(3), 48–58. https://acortar.link/ZvHNNr

Zhou, Q. (2021). The application of TBLT to English reading teaching in junior high school. Region - Educational Research and Reviews, 3(2), 52–55. https://acortar.link/JR1NH2

Published

2026-09-15

How to Cite

Cevallos Valverde, A. A., & Heredia Quiroz, M. A. (2026). The influence of task-based language teaching on the development of english reading skills in vulnerable adult learners. KIRIA: Revista Científica Multidisciplinaria , 4(8), 79-91. https://doi.org/10.53877/q09phd46