García Mayo explains in the general introduction that her intent is to meet a current, increasing “need to (i) provide guidelines for task classification, sequencing and design and (ii) determine if this type of approach may actually inform effective teaching practice” (p. 1). Written for researchers, practitioners, and students of SLA and task-based language learning and teaching, this book provides a wide-ranging collection of research on second language (L2) tasks in formal language instruction, covering both cognitive and sociocultural perspectives, both oral and written modalities, various target languages and features, and learners of different first languages (L1s) and proficiency levels.
In chapter 1, Robinson argues for the need for a classification system for pedagogic tasks that are “motivated by a theory,” “empirically researchable,” and “operationally feasible” (p. 13) and describes cognitive, interactional, and ability-determinant criteria to classify and sequence tasks. The following chapters present empirical studies that examine a variety of task characteristics in terms of various L2 use measurements. In chapter 2, Lambert and Engler investigate whether information distribution (shared vs. one way vs. two way) and goal orientation (open vs. closed) are effective in upholding a dual-mode processing system that consists of rule-based and exemplar-based learning. Gilabert explores the effects of pretask planning time and the degree of displaced past time reference (here-and-now vs. there-and-then) on L2 oral production in chapter 3. Fernández García addresses the impact of shared background (one way vs. two way) in promoting negotiation among beginning-level learners in a foreign language learning context (chapter 4). Integrating a sociocultural approach into research, Alegría de la Colina and García Mayo study the effects of collaborative production tasks (jigsaw, dictogloss, and text reconstruction) in facilitating low-proficiency learners' focus-on-form and metatalk (chapter 5).
The following three chapters explore task features and L2 written production. In chapter 6, Kuiken and Vedder investigate, in a L2 writing task, the impact of two task complexity factors (± few elements and ± no reasoning demands) along the “resource-directing dimensions” (Robinson, Reference Robinson2005, p. 4) on linguistic performance in order to empirically test two competing views of Skehan's (Reference Skehan1998) limited capacity hypothesis and Robinson's (Reference Robinson and Robinson2001, Reference Robinson2005) cognition hypothesis. Ishikawa looks into the consequences of manipulating a task complexity variable (± here-and-now) along the resource-directing dimension on written production (chapter 7). Storch and Wigglesworth examine variation in the writing produced by L2 learners who have performed tasks collaboratively and individually (chapter 8). Drawing on both Skehan and Robinson's schemes, Peters researches the effects of task complexity (± single task), operationalized through task instructions, on learners' look-up behavior, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development (chapter 9). González Álvarez investigates whether (and which) task type and task features affect learners' use of lexical innovation strategies in oral interactions (chapter 10). Alcón Soler addresses the effects of explicit and implicit consciousness-raising tasks in promoting learners' awareness of pragmatics (chapter 11). In the final chapter, Lamy explores, from socioaffective and social-semiotic perspectives, the occurrence and the content of metachat, or informal conversations about language, to understand the learning opportunities this sort of interaction provides to learners (chapter 12).
Most of the chapters are clearly presented and have a similar organization and readability. Notable is the inclusive scope of areas dealt with in the book, including oral interaction, writing, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, learning strategies, pragmatics, and computer-mediated communication. One weakness of this work as a whole pertains to a discrepancy between the title's focus on formal language learning when it is not learning outcomes but rather on-task performance that is actually investigated in most of the chapters. Performance research cannot explain or predict anything about the effects of task characteristics on interlanguage development or learning outcomes. Another limitation is the inconsistency in the use of terms from chapter to chapter: Task difficulty is employed to describe different concepts depending on the model (i.e., Robinson's or Skehan's) from which the author draws. Finally, some readers might prefer to see a concluding chapter that summarizes and reviews findings in this area of research.
Notwithstanding these few drawbacks and the occasional typo, this book provides an excellent up-to-date anthology of L2 task research. It makes a successful contribution to the enhancement of our understanding of various aspects of task-based research and is certainly a welcome and important addition to the field.
