The Effects of Reciprocal and Non-Reciprocal Listening Tasks on the Complexity of Iranian EFL Learners’ Oral Production

Abstract

Researches in the field of task-based language teaching and learning claim that combining task characteristics and processing conditions can direct a learner’s attention to the competing goals of accuracy, complexity, and fluency. The objective of this study is to find out whether reciprocal and non-reciprocal listening tasks have different effects on Iranian EFL learners’ speaking ability in terms of complexity. For this purpose, forty students of intermediate level were chosen and then were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. Data analysis showed that performing reciprocal listening tasks had different effects on students’ speaking complexity, compared to those that didn’t receive these types of activities. Based on the results of this study, it is imperative that teachers consider the types of listening activities that can have influence over language learners’ speaking ability.