The Use of Task-Based Language Learning

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of task-based language learning in the teaching of reading skills in secondary schools in Gucha Sub-County, Kenya. The study was guided by following objectives: to find out the activities used by teachers of English in secondary schools in the teaching and learning of reading skills; to determine the perceptions of teachers and learners on the use of task-based language teaching in the teaching and learning of reading skills; and to establish the challenges that teachers face in the use of task-based language teaching and learning in the language classroom. The study was based on the constructivist theory of learning by Jean Piaget (1950) which states that through the process of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences. Descriptive survey research design was used in the study. The study involved ten (10) schools out of the thirty (30) that are in the district. Ten (10) teachers of English and two hundred (200) students were selected using simple random sampling procedures. The instruments of data collection were interview schedules and observation schedules.