The Effects of Task Type and Instructions on Second Language Acquisition

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the role of tasks in second language acquisition and a substantial body of research now exists to show their potential contribution to language learning and teaching. However, not much is known about the effects of different task types, nor about their accompanying instructions. Which tasks are more successful under what circumstances? What type of instructions should be included? This book attempts to answer the questions above by first examining previous studies on the use of tasks, the roles of input, output and interaction, and by placing these in a broader cognitive framework. It argues that in order to understand the effects of different task types, it is important not only to look at learning outcomes (acquisition), but also at the effects on immediate task performance (intake), and by doing so, to arrive at a more complete picture of the learning process.