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Chapter 3. Understanding, measuring, and differentiating task enjoyment from foreign language enjoyment

  • Chengchen Li and Jean-Marc Dewaele
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Individual Differences and Task-Based Language Teaching
This chapter is in the book Individual Differences and Task-Based Language Teaching

Abstract

This study aims to conceptualize and measure task-specific enjoyment and examine its links with general foreign language enjoyment. A 23-item Task Enjoyment Scale was developed based on interview data obtained after the completion of an L2 oral task. The scale was subsequently validated with two cohorts of Chinese university EFL learners. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three dimensions: task enjoyment-self, task enjoyment-task characteristics, and task enjoyment-social. Further confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a 10-item Task Enjoyment Scale representing the three-factor structure. Correlation analyses revealed varying positive relationships between task enjoyment, foreign language enjoyment, and their dimensions. We highlight that task enjoyment may be the foundation of foreign language enjoyment, and that learners may also bring enduring foreign language enjoyment to a specific task, contributing to the temporary experience of task enjoyment, which may be linked to task performance. We conclude that enjoyment, whether task-specific or general, is vital, and a primary non-linguistic goal for L2 teachers is to make L2 tasks/learning as enjoyable as possible.

Abstract

This study aims to conceptualize and measure task-specific enjoyment and examine its links with general foreign language enjoyment. A 23-item Task Enjoyment Scale was developed based on interview data obtained after the completion of an L2 oral task. The scale was subsequently validated with two cohorts of Chinese university EFL learners. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three dimensions: task enjoyment-self, task enjoyment-task characteristics, and task enjoyment-social. Further confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a 10-item Task Enjoyment Scale representing the three-factor structure. Correlation analyses revealed varying positive relationships between task enjoyment, foreign language enjoyment, and their dimensions. We highlight that task enjoyment may be the foundation of foreign language enjoyment, and that learners may also bring enduring foreign language enjoyment to a specific task, contributing to the temporary experience of task enjoyment, which may be linked to task performance. We conclude that enjoyment, whether task-specific or general, is vital, and a primary non-linguistic goal for L2 teachers is to make L2 tasks/learning as enjoyable as possible.

Chapters in this book

  1. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Series editors’ preface vii
  4. Foreword 1
  5. Section 1. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1. Individual differences and task-based language teaching 10
  7. Section 2. Affective differences
  8. Chapter 2. Anxiety in task-based language teaching 52
  9. Chapter 3. Understanding, measuring, and differentiating task enjoyment from foreign language enjoyment 84
  10. Chapter 4. Task complexity, task features, and task anxiety at low L2 proficiency levels 111
  11. Section 3. Cognitive differences
  12. Chapter 5. Written languaging, language aptitude, and L2 learning through dictogloss tasks 140
  13. Chapter 6. The effects of planning type, working memory, and anxiety on L2 writing performance 161
  14. Section 4. Conative differences
  15. Chapter 7. A review of learner motivation and engagement research in task-based language teaching 198
  16. Chapter 8. Teachers’ and learners’ beliefs about task-based language teaching 228
  17. Section 5. Sociodemographic differences
  18. Chapter 9. Task-based language learning and teaching 262
  19. Section 6. Pedagogical perspectives
  20. Chapter 10. Practitioners’ perspectives 288
  21. Chapter 11. Teacher IDs and task adaptations 313
  22. Section 7. Conclusion
  23. Chapter 12. Conclusion 346
  24. List of contributors 365
  25. Index 371
https://doi.org/10.1075/tblt.16.03lic

Chapters in this book

  1. 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Series editors’ preface vii
  4. Foreword 1
  5. Section 1. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1. Individual differences and task-based language teaching 10
  7. Section 2. Affective differences
  8. Chapter 2. Anxiety in task-based language teaching 52
  9. Chapter 3. Understanding, measuring, and differentiating task enjoyment from foreign language enjoyment 84
  10. Chapter 4. Task complexity, task features, and task anxiety at low L2 proficiency levels 111
  11. Section 3. Cognitive differences
  12. Chapter 5. Written languaging, language aptitude, and L2 learning through dictogloss tasks 140
  13. Chapter 6. The effects of planning type, working memory, and anxiety on L2 writing performance 161
  14. Section 4. Conative differences
  15. Chapter 7. A review of learner motivation and engagement research in task-based language teaching 198
  16. Chapter 8. Teachers’ and learners’ beliefs about task-based language teaching 228
  17. Section 5. Sociodemographic differences
  18. Chapter 9. Task-based language learning and teaching 262
  19. Section 6. Pedagogical perspectives
  20. Chapter 10. Practitioners’ perspectives 288
  21. Chapter 11. Teacher IDs and task adaptations 313
  22. Section 7. Conclusion
  23. Chapter 12. Conclusion 346
  24. List of contributors 365
  25. Index 371
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