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RESEARCHING PEDAGOGIC TASKS: SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING, TEACHING, AND TESTING. Martin Bygate, Peter Skehan, and Merrill Swain (Eds.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education, 2001. Pp. x + 258. $32.00 paper.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2003

María José Alvarez-Torres
Affiliation:
Michigan State University

Abstract

This volume presents a series of empirical studies that reflect the editors' commitment to the exploration of pedagogic tasks from three interrelated perspectives—learning, teaching, and testing. The introductory chapter by the editors sets the tone of the volume by advocating this view of tasks and provides the basis for a definition that differs from previous, generic definitions in its emphasis on “the different purposes to which tasks are used” (p. 5). Therefore, according to the editors, tasks are inherently distinct and highly dependent on the situational context in which they develop. The departure from former task definitions aims: (a) to avoid continuous misinterpretations between the pedagogy and the research fields, (b) to create a space for understanding the purpose that tasks serve in different areas, and (c) to elude “inappropriate standards for task evaluation” (p. 12). The rest of the chapters are grouped into three sections according to area of emphasis (learning, teaching, or testing). Each section begins with a brief introduction to the chapters it includes.

Type
Book Review
Copyright
2003 Cambridge University Press

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