Comparing the Effects of Different Kinds of Tasks on Students Learning Grammar

ABSTRACT Many researches confirmed the importance of tasks on language learning. In modern language teaching area, some teachers apply different kinds of tasks in their classrooms. The current study investigated the effect of three tasks, namely; peripheral learning, computer assisted language learning #CALL#, and mobile assisted language learning #MALL# on students English grammar learning. The researcher administered a pre –validated grammar test to 160 junior high school subjects, aged between 14 to 16 with the mean age 15, to obtain homogenous students. Based on the pre test results, the researcher chose 120 students and divided them into three experimental groups # peripheral learning, CALL#based, and MALL#based tasks#, and one control group. The researcher taught grammar to all the groups inductively and asked the participants to do their assignments according to their group s tasks. The participants in the control group did not have any extra tasks and they only answered their written workbook questions as an assignment. Based on the post test results, the researcher concluded that the experimental groups had better results than the control group. In addition, the participants who took part in the MALL based task group had better improvement on grammar learning. After the MALL based task group, the peripheral learning, the CALL based task, and the control groups obtained the high results respectively. The study concludes by suggesting that if students perform tasks which are related to their studies, they will learn better. It supports the idea that motivating tasks can have positive results toward grammar learning. Keywords: MALL, CALL, grammar, peripheral learning, tasks