The Role of Sequencing Pedagogical Tasks and Its Influence on Optimizing L2 Learners acquisition of English Clauses

ABSTRACT: The role of tasks as a means of triggering meaning negotiation supposed to promote a second language acquisition has a rich trace in the Second Language Acquisition literature. Needless to say, tasks can play a very vital role in creation of a meaningful context for the acquisition of any linguistic and non-linguistic materials. However, the way of presenting tasks needs a more pedagogical consideration in order for tasks to be better handled. In the view of this, the present study has detected the possible effects of sequencing tasks based on task difficulty factors proposed by Skehan and Foster (2001) including code complexity, cognitive factors, and communicative stress as factors to sequence pedagogical tasks based on. Six groups each with 30 subjects have participated in the study. Group A did not receive any TBT treatment. Group B received TBT without sequencing, but groups C, D, and E received TBT with sequencing on one factor ( code complexity, cognitive factors, and communicative stress) respectively. The last group, group F, received TBT with sequencing of all three factors. The statistical analyses revealed that sequencing pedagogical tasks can promote acquisition of English clauses, and also sequencing tasks based on code complexity or linguistic factors makes a difference, but not as much as cognitive and communicative stress factors. Finally, it was revealed that sequencing tasks with all three factors would result in an improvement in acquisition of English clauses more than any other factor alone.