Investigating the Role of Affective Factors in Second Language Learning Tasks

Description

This book provides an overview of affective individual variables that are considered relevant for second language learning and outlines a novel approach to researching them. In the first part of the book, the most prominent concepts and theories in connection with affective individual variables and tasks are discussed, followed by a literature review of the most significant empirical studies conducted on the reviewed individual variables with the help of tasks. The second part of the monograph reports the findings of a research project which investigated the relationships of motivation, emotions, flow experiences, and self-efficacy beliefs of secondary school students studying English in Hungary. These constructs are examined at two levels: in connection with learners’ English classes in general and in connection with a particular language task, thus linking task performance measures to specific affective states experienced while performing a task and their general trait versions reported in connection with the language classes. Teacher interviews provide further insights into the language tasks used by the teachers of the students taking part in the study and their affective correlates. The book offers multi-level interpretations of the results, puts forward pedagogical implications, and delineates further research directions.   Preface Acknowledgements Contents 1 Setting the Scene 1.1 The Context of the Study 1.2 The Research Project References 2 Importance of Affective Individual Difference Variables in Language Learning 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Emotions 2.3 Motivation 2.4 Self-Efficacy Beliefs 2.5 Flow 2.6 Conclusion References 3 Language Tasks 3.1 Introduction 3.2 What is a Task and Where Does It Come from? 3.3 Task Types and Important Task Features 3.3.1 Key Features of Communication Tasks 3.3.2 Task Difficulty 3.3.3 Important Features of Task Content 3.4 How to Measure Learners’ Performance on Tasks 3.5 Conclusion References 4 Empirical Research on Emotions, Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Flow with the Help of Tasks 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Emotions and Task Performance 4.3 Motivation and Task Performance 4.4 Self-Efficacy and Task Performance 4.5 Flow and Task Performance 4.6 Conclusion References 5 The Trait Questionnaire Study: Examining Learners’ Motivation, Emotions, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Research Design 5.2.1 Research Questions 5.2.2 Participants 5.2.3 Instrument: The Trait ID Questionnaire 5.2.4 Procedures 5.2.5 Ethical Considerations 5.2.6 Data Analysis 5.3 Results and Discussion 5.4 Conclusion References 6 The Task-Based Study: Investigating Learners’ Motivation, Emotions, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Flow State in Relation to Their Performance on Language Tasks 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Research Design 6.2.1 Research Questions 6.2.2 Participants 6.2.3 Instruments 6.2.4 Procedure 6.2.5 Ethical Considerations 6.2.6 Data Analysis 6.3 Results and Discussion 6.4 Conclusion References 7 The Interview-Based Study: Exploring Teachers’ Views Concerning Language Tasks 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Research Design 7.2.1 Research Questions 7.2.2 Participants 7.2.3 Instrument 7.2.4 Procedure 7.2.5 Ethical Issues 7.2.6 Data Analysis 7.3 Results and Discussion 7.4 Conclusion References 8 Conclusions, Pedagogical Implications, and New Research Directions 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Connecting the Dots: Linking the Empirical Studies 8.2.1 The Learning Experience 8.2.2 The School Climate 8.2.3 The Flow State 8.2.4 Emotions 8.3 Pedagogical Implications 8.4 Limitations and Future Research Directions 8.5 Final Words References Appendix A Trait Questionnaire Questionnaire Appendix B State Questionnaire TASK Questionnaire Appendix C Interview Guide