Eliciting Learner Perceptions of Web 2.0 Tasks through Mixed-Methods Classroom Research

Task-based language learning and teaching (TBLT) as a methodological realization of the communicative approach to language teaching builds on, inter alia, the linguistic foundation of Long's (cf., e.g. 1996) interaction hypothesis. Today TBLT holds the status of a widely accepted methodology in both research and practice and is supported by a rich body of conceptual research, including book length research reviews and teaching guides (cf., e.g. Bygate, Skehan & Swain 2001, Ellis 2003, Nunan 2004). Yet the implementation of TBLT in authentic foreign and second language (L2) classroom contexts, especially with regard to learner perceptions and performance are sparse. A similar dearth of classroom-based research can be identified for the use of digital media and Web 2.0 applications in L2 contexts. Research in this area is needed as technological advances are transforming the very concept of task (cf. Biebighäuser, Zibelius & Schmidt 2012: 45-50).
The present paper introduces a research methodology for the implementation of Web 2.0 applications in a task-based project scenario. I propose a mixed-methods approach to classroom-based research that facilitates the investigation of learner perceptions and performance during Web-supported tasks as they unfold in the authentic classroom environment. Section 2 provides a definition and discussion of the research construct 'learner perceptions.' In section 3, the overall research design of the study is introduced along with a description of the individual research instruments. Finally, section 4 exemplifies the triangulation of data sources in the context of a selected task performance sequence limited to one focus student.