EFL Teachers’ Perception and Practice of Task-based Language Teaching Using Family and Friends Textbook Series

Khonamri, Fatemeh; Akbari, Niloofar; Yaqubi, Baqer

doi:10.22080/iselt.2026.30313.1141

EFL Teachers’ Perception and Practice of Task-based Language Teaching Using Family and Friends Textbook Series

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of English Language and Literature, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

10.22080/iselt.2026.30313.1141

Abstract

Despite the growing emphasis on communicative approaches in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), limited research has explored the extent to which teachers implement Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in contexts such as Iran. This study addresses this gap by investigating EFL teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices of TBLT while using the young-adult textbook series Family and Friends. Given the complex, context-dependent, and often implicit nature of teachers’ beliefs and their strong influence on instructional decisions, this study adopted a qualitative methodology to gain in-depth insights into teachers’ perspectives and practices. Data were collected through systematic classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with ten EFL teachers, allowing for an in-depth exploration of both observed teaching practices and teachers’ self-reported experiences. The findings revealed that although teachers generally held positive perceptions of TBLT, their conceptual understanding was limited. Some teachers unconsciously implemented TBLT principles, while others encountered barriers such as time constraints, institutional pressures, and textbook-task misalignment. The study highlights the need for targeted professional development and provides insights for researchers, teacher trainers, and educational institutions aiming to support effective TBLT implementation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at the University of Mazandaran. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

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