Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Research Background
With the wide spread of task-based learning approach in China, task has becomethe main unit of learning and it is agreed that it will determine what students learnand how they will learn to some degree. Therefore, research on task has been aninterest and focus of scholars. Since material acts as an important source forteaching and learning, some scholars’ attention has switched to study task design inmaterials. Up to now, it has been studied based on cognitive linguistics theories,interpretation of authenticity, and so on.Though task design has been analyzed a lot, no one has set foot in it in businessEnglish (BE) materials, let alone BE writing materials. As is known to all, due to therapid development of global economy, BE plays an essential role in businesscommunication. The approval of BE as an independent major for undergraduate in15 universities and colleges by the National Ministry of Education indicates itsimportance as well. For international business communication, BE writing is a majorpart. Without it, many ordinary international business activities would be impossibleto be carried out. Therefore, BE writing works as one of the core courses of BEteaching, and taken the significance of materials in teaching mentioned above intoconsideration, BE writing materials contributes greatly to the cultivation of BEtalents. For these reasons, task design in BE writing materials deserves our attentionas well.Task design can be studied based on different language teaching and learningtheories. Authentic learning is a new approach of learning originated fromconstructivism. After it has been confirmed both theoretically and in practice,authentic learning has been widely applied in several fields of education abroad,such as business organization, literary and language learning education. Severalcriteria for authentic learning have been worked out based on the theory and itsapplications. Scholar Marilyn (2017: 9) claims that authentic learning “may be moreimportant than ever in a rapidly changing world”. It is currently undergoing a widespread around the field of education. The standard of authentic learning offers threecriteria which can be applied to the evaluation of authentic instruction andassessment. It is recommended the rubric is particularly useful for educators toevaluate “assignments, laboratory activities, or projects” (Neil, 2017: 31) becauseauthentic learning occurs through tasks, activities, and assessments (Newmann &Wehlage, 1993). As a result, it’s feasible to conduct a study on task design based onthe authentic learning standard.
1.2 Objective of This Research
Since task design in BE writing materials is significant in the cultivation of BEtalents, then what is the status of task design in BE writing materials? That is whatthe current research searches for.Authentic learning serves as the theoretical foundation of the current research.In light of authentic learning, this study firstly intends to study the features of taskdesign in BE writing materials at different development stages respectively. Basedon the general characteristics of task design in BE writing materials at differentdevelopment stages, the current research tries to find out the development featuresand also explore causes for its development. In order to obtain a clear status of taskdesign in BE writing materials at the current stag，英语论文网站，英语论文 |
