ABSTRACT
The chapter reports on a study that explores the effectiveness of a fully online task-based instruction course for adult novice Spanish learners, involving the application of a four-skill integration approach. Twenty-four beginning language students participated in the study in a five-week summer session. Students carried out a variety of real-world tasks to develop their language skills and cultural knowledge. Data from post-surveys, reflective essays, final interviews and learning tasks were collected and analyzed to report the findings. The results indicate that task-based instruction enhances the development of students’ language skills and cultural knowledge in a meaningful way. The students reported positive attitudes toward the use of task-based instruction mediated by digital platforms because this pedagogical approach gave them agency over their learning and engaged them in co-construction of knowledge with their peers. The study concludes that well-designed tasks are crucial and that instructional scaffolding through modeling and corrective feedback is indispensable to guide beginning students through the learning process and accommodate their individual needs in fully online language courses.
