Effects of strategic planning on the accuracy of oral and written tasks in the performance of Turkish EFL learners

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of strategic planning on the accuracy of EFL learners’ performance on oral and written narrative tasks. The study addresses the complex relationship between the planning process and accuracy in task performance. Data collected from 60 learners in a Turkish EFL educational setting showed that strategic planning did not significantly affect accuracy on the oral task, and that it had an adverse effect on the written task. Modality (oral or written) made a significant difference under unplanned conditions. On the other hand, a post-task questionnaire revealed that we need to examine what learners attend to during the strategic planning phase to understand how they actually use the planning time and whether they change their focus of attention during the task performance phase. Through its focus on these aspects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and learning, including planning time, accuracy, and oral and written modalities, this study brings to the fore these important aspects of how TBLT works in EFL settings.