This book brings together a series of empirical studies into the use of pedagogical tasks for second language learning, with a view to better understanding the structure of tasks, their impact on students, and their use by teachers. This edited volume starts with an introduction to the background and key issues in the topic area. Each section begins with a succinct introduction, and the volume concludes with an afterward relating the theme of the volume to issues in curriculum development. The book is divided into 10 chapters: "Effects of Task Repetition on the Structure and Control of Oral Language" (Martin Bygate); "Non-Reciprocal Tasks, Comprehension and Second Language Acquisition" (Rod Ellis); "Rules and Routines: A Consideration of Their Role in the Task-Based Language Production of Native and Non-Native Speakers" (Pauline Foster); "Focus on Form through Collaborative Dialogue: Exploring Task Effects" (Merrill Swain, Sharon Lapkin); "Guiding Relationships Between Form and Meaning during Task Performance: The Role of the Teacher" (Virginia Samuda); "'A Case of Exercising': Effects of Immediate Task Repetition on Learners' Performance" (Tony Lynch, Joan Maclean); "Tasks and Language Performance Assessment" (Peter Skehan); "Influences on Performance in Task-Based Oral Assessments" (Gillian Wigglesworth); and "Task-Based Assessments: Characteristics and Validity Evidence" (Micheline Chalhoub-Deville). There is also a concluding chapter: "Afterword: Taking the Curriculum to Task" (Christopher N. Candlin). A subject index is appended. (KFT)