Performance Evaluation in Task-based Language Teaching: Suggested Procedures for EFL Classes

The aim of this study is to suggest procedures for evaluating EFL students' performance in task-based language teaching. As the background the study first introduces how TBLT can be implemented in the EFL context, including principles for the implementation. Then it discusses key issues to be considered in designing a task-based evaluation. Based on the background, the study makes a sample evaluation plan and tests its applicability in the EFL classroom through an experiment with 25 high school students. The two means used to obtain participants' opinions about the procedures in the evaluation plan were a questionnaire survey and an interview. The participants' positive responses to the questionnaire items were used as the criteria for judging the appropriateness of the evaluation points. Responses to the questions in the interview were qualitatively analyzed and used as a supplement for a more accurate interpretation of the result of the questionnaire survey. The evaluation procedures suggested in the study are based on the result of the experiment. Even though the procedures may not be complete with subjective interpretations and judgments inevitably included, it is hoped that they will be of pedagogical use for EFL teachers seeking how to evaluate their students' performance in task-based instruction.