TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN UNIVERSITY EFL CLASSROOMS: RETHINKING PEDAGOGY FOR THE 21 ST-CENTURY LEARNER

Abstract

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has accumulated a robust theoretical and empirical foundation over four decades of research in second language acquisition (SLA) and applied linguistics, yet its implementation in university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts remains uneven, contested, and frequently misunderstood. This article critically reviews the theoretical foundations of TBLT, examines the empirical evidence for its effectiveness in university-level EFL settings, and addresses the principal barriers to its adoption in contexts — including Central Asian, East Asian, and post-Soviet educational environments — where transmission-based pedagogies continue to dominate