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Abstract Although task-based language teaching has become one of the key issues in second language acquisition, little research has investigated the impact of tasks on learners’ interactional competence. This study examines the effects of task complexity and task sequence on 68 college students’ interactive listening in English communication. In the study, two simple tasks and two complex tasks were designed according to the resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions. The tasks were organized into two sequences: simple-complex and complex-simple. Three types of interactive listening strategies were identified, namely reactive tokens, collaborative contributions, and collaborative completions. The results showed that the students employed more reactive tokens in the simple tasks, whereas in the complex ones, they used more collaborative contributions. Overall, collaborative completions were used infrequently. The simple-complex sequence enhanced the students’ ability to use more reactive tokens and collaborative contributions. The study revealed the impact of task construction and task implementation factors on interactive listening and provided important implications for taskbased second language acquisition and teaching research.
Key words: task-based language teaching; task complexity; task sequence; interactional competence; interactive listening
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