Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Mature age admission at universities is increasing rapidly all over the world and
Ghanaian universities, both private and public, are no exception. The language proficiency of
the admitted mature students, especially in reading, is often low, which affects their
comprehension abilities and academic work.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a task-based language
teaching approach to improve the reading proficiency of mature students.
METHOD: An intervention using a designed instructional model was undertaken with a group
of mature students. Control groups were included and instructed through the traditional
mode. The study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, with pre and post-tests,
interviews, and observations. The quantitative data were analysed using t-tests in combination
with effect sizes, and the qualitative data were analysed through content analysis.
RESULTS: The results showed that the mature students who participated in the intervention
obtained higher post-test scores than the control groups. The improvement in their reading
proficiency as shown in the test results was statistically significant, with large effect sizes. The
qualitative data supported the findings of the quantitative data and provided further insight
into the improvement of the experimental group. For example, frequent feedback, an enabling
classroom environment, motivation, and collaborative learning were some of the factors that
emerged as contributors to the experimental group’s improved post-test results.
CONTRIBUTION: The research has been beneficial in providing an alternative teaching pedagogy
for mature students.
CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, recommendations are made for the use of an adapted taskbased language teaching approach for improving the reading proficiency of mature age
students.
