Revisiting task-based research with young EFL learners: Reflections and future directions
María del Pilar García Mayo
Full Professor – Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU)
Until recently, most studies within the Task-based language teaching framework have focused on young adults in university settings, despite the increasing global exposure of children to foreign languages, particularly English. In this talk, I will critically revisit research involving children learning English as a foreign language while performing collaborative tasks in both mainstream and content and language integrated learning contexts. Conducted within interactionist and sociocultural frameworks, these studies demonstrate that children engage in negotiation of meaning, predominantly use collaborative interaction patterns and focus on language form. Furthermore, the findings highlight how implementation variables – such as learner setup, task repetition, task modality, input enhancement, and pre-task planning – affect children’s performance. The talk will conclude by identifying key challenges and directions for future research, particularly in relation to task design, children’s individual differences, online game exposure, teacher-researcher collaboration, and institutional support. In today’s multilingual classrooms, adopting pedagogical approaches that effectively support young language learners is more critical than ever.