"This study investigates the history of English language education in Japan over the past 150 years. Preliminary results indicate students use textbook language as a scaffold, employ unique vocabulary not included in the textbook, and do not vary grammatical forms. Thirty-six student performances on a task were analyzed. Whether students deviated from or remained bound by the suggested forms and vocabulary during task completion was analyzed. Suggested phrases from the textbook were introduced before the task, but students were encouraged to also use their own ideas in task completion. This research addresses the concern of supplying learners with target language forms during the pre-task phase. Textbooks are often considered culprits in this predetermination of language forms (Willis, 1990), as model dialogs lock students into particular grammatical forms and restrict student vocabulary, thus reducing the communicative value of a task. There has been talk in TBL of the dangers of giving students target language before or during the pre-task because students may use the subsequent task to practice target forms and not focus on communication (Ellis, 2003, p.
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