Learning grammar through task-based activities : the case of first-year English Majors of Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University

This study was to investigate whether the use of task-based activities helps students in learning English grammar. The grammar point investigated in the study was past simple in statements. The subjects were 36 first-year students who had different level of English proficiency majoring in English at Ubon Ratchathani Rajaphat University, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. The instruments of the study were the pre-test, the post-test, and worksheets of task-based activities. The subjects were taught past simple through doing task-based activities and the framework of TBL by Jane Willis (1996) was applied during the teaching process.
The results of the study showed that the mean score on the post-test was hight than one on the pre-test. The maen score on the pre-test was 14.00 while that on the post-test was 22.25. The difference was statistically significant at P<.000. The data from the study indicated that after the treatment, the students' ability in learning grammar through task-based activities had been increased significantly. Therefore, task-based activities helped the students in their English grammar learning.