Keywords
Business English
Communicative competence
Task-based language teaching
Algerian higher education
Language pedagogy
How to Cite
Abstract
In the Algerian higher education context, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses for business students often emphasize grammatical accuracy and domain-specific vocabulary at the expense of practical communicative competence. This study investigates the effectiveness of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in fostering communicative competence among Algerian university students enrolled in Business English ESP programmes through a quasi-experimental design involving 54 second-year preparatory business students at the Higher School of Management and Digital Economy. Data triangulation was employed through pre- and post-intervention speaking assessments, a structured student perception questionnaire, and systematic instructor field notes. Participants in the experimental group received instruction via TBLT, while the control group followed traditional lecture-based methods. Results indicate that TBLT significantly enhanced learners' communicative competence, particularly in fluency (d = 1.26), interactional strategies (d = 1.41), and pragmatic appropriateness (d = 1.22). Moreover, students in the experimental group reported increased motivation (92.5% agreement), confidence (96.3% agreement), and perceived relevance of English instruction to their future professional lives. The study suggests that TBLT constitutes a contextually appropriate and pedagogically effective approach for addressing the communicative needs of Algerian ESP Business English learners, and recommends its integration into curriculum planning and teacher training initiatives.
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