TASK-BASED ESP INSTRUCTION FOR AGRICULTURE STUDENTS: IMPACTS ON ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Abstract

This study investigates the implementation of Task-Based English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction for agriculture students and its impacts on students’ academic communication skills. The research aims to examine how task-based learning activities improve students’ abilities in academic speaking, writing, and presentation within agricultural contexts. A mixed-method research design was employed involving undergraduate students from the Faculty of Agriculture. Quantitative data were collected through pre-test and post-test assessments, while qualitative data were obtained from classroom observations and student interviews. The instructional tasks were designed based on authentic agricultural communication activities, including report presentations, academic discussions, problem-solving tasks, and scientific article summaries. The findings revealed that task-based ESP instruction significantly enhanced students’ academic communication performance, particularly in speaking confidence, vocabulary usage, and presentation organization. Students also demonstrated higher motivation and active participation during learning activities. Furthermore, authentic tasks enabled students to connect English learning with their disciplinary knowledge and future professional needs in agriculture. The study concludes that task-based ESP instruction provides an effective pedagogical approach for improving academic communication skills among agriculture students and supports the integration of contextual and discipline-specific English learning in higher education