A Comparative Analysis of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in Teaching Kyrgyz as a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL): Evidence from the Fulbright FLTA Program and KRSU

This article examines the implementation of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in teaching Kyrgyz as a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) across two distinct educational contexts. Despite growing interest in communicative approaches to language teaching, their application to Kyrgyz language instruction remains largely unexplored. The empirical foundation draws on teaching experience during the Fulbright FLTA program at Indiana University (USA, 2022–2023) and a pedagogical experiment at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (KRSU, Bishkek, 2026). The first group consisted of 14 American graduate students from the Central Eurasian Studies department at beginner and upper-intermediate levels; the second comprised 20 Russian-speaking KRSU students at the beginner level, for whom Kyrgyz is a compulsory subject. The article analyzes the core components of TBLT: learner needs analysis, communicative task design, Willis's task cycle (pre-task, main task, post-task), focus on form, and corrective feedback. Survey results from the KRSU group showed a substantial rise in speaking confidence: mean self-assessment scores increased from 1.9 to 4.3 on a five-point scale, and all 20 participants rated the practical value of the lessons at the maximum score. A comparative analysis of the two contexts identifies universal TBLT principles that hold regardless of learners' native language, alongside context-specific adaptations required for each audience. Particular attention is given to time management, scaffolding for beginner learners, and pre-task organization. The article concludes that TBLT holds strong potential for teaching less commonly taught languages in diverse settings.