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Communicative and Task-Based Language Teaching in the Asia-Pacific Region

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Second and Foreign Language Education

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

Abstract

Communicative language teaching (CLT) and task-based language teaching (TBLT) were introduced to Asia as an alternative to traditional methods to teaching second/foreign languages, such as the grammar-translation method. Since then, CLT and TBLT have grown in popularity and have been promoted as central components in curricula and syllabi in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In several studies, however, researchers have observed that CLT and TBLT are often not used as intended in Asian classrooms, and they have also identified a number of challenges and constraints that teachers face when implementing these pedagogies. More recently, various innovative strategies to implementing CLT/TBLT in Asian classrooms have been taken, including negotiating with local factors and adapting CLT/TBLT to work with existing methods. Such adaptations highlight the importance of contextualization when implementing CLT/TBLT.

Although CLT and TBLT have gradually gained wider acceptance in Asian classrooms, a few unsolved issues remain, such as (a) how to situate CLT/TBLT in highly exam-oriented educational systems and societies, (b) how to incorporate form-focused instruction in CLT/TBLT to meet the needs of the learners and to maximize learning outcomes, (c) and how best to support teachers in employing CLT/TBLT. The adaptations of CLT/TBLT in Asia also illustrate that there is no such thing as a universally best pedagogical method or approach across context and time, whether CLT, TBLT, or any other approach. This chapter concludes by suggesting future directions for research and pedagogy on CLT/TBLT in Asia. The findings confirm the importance of having a flexible approach to implementing CLT/TBLT in Asian contexts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Linguistics Division, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, 3700 Walnut Street, 19104-6216, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Yuko Goto Butler

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  1. Yuko Goto Butler
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Correspondence to Yuko Goto Butler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center Language Study, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Nelleke Van Deusen-Scholl

  2. Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Butler, Y.G. (2017). Communicative and Task-Based Language Teaching in the Asia-Pacific Region. In: Van Deusen-Scholl, N., May, S. (eds) Second and Foreign Language Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02246-8_28

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