Abstract

Speaking skill is a crucial component of language learning, yet enhancing EFL learners’ oral performance remains a challenge. Specifically, traditional English-speaking classrooms in Vietnam have limited students’ ability to actively engage in, monitor, and be responsible for their own learning process. As a result, their oral performance is poorer compared to other skills. This study investigated how Task-Based Language Teaching integrating with e-portfolio could mitigate these challenges and improve students’ speaking performance. Drawing on Ellis’ Task-Based Language Teaching model, Barrett’s e-portfolio framework, and Tham and Trinh’s dimensions of learner autonomy, the research was carried out with 26 English as a Foreign Language students at a university in Ho Chi Minh City over two action research cycles, following Burns’ framework. In Cycle 1, the qualitative data from the interviews revealed that signs of self-regulation and self-assessment emerged while participants’ level of accountability were limited. In Cycle 2, after introducing scoring rubrics, peer feedback and self-reflection forms, participants demonstrated greater responsibility and significant improvements in speaking performance. These results suggest that integrating Task-Based Language Teaching with e-portfolios through iterative cycles not only enhances speaking skills but also cultivates essential competencies for autonomous learning, offering practical implications for EFL pedagogy.