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Researching L2 Task Performance and Pedagogy: In honour of Peter Skehan
Edited by Zhisheng (Edward) Wen and Mohammad Javad Ahmadian
[Task-Based Language Teaching 13] 2019
► pp. 67–92

Chapter 4
The relationship between task motivation and L2 motivation

An empirical study

 | The University of Auckland
 | Florida State University
This chapter reports a study investigating the underlying construct of task motivation and its relationship with general motivation in learning English. A task motivation questionnaire was designed based on in-depth interviews with a group of Chinese university EFL students and was then administered to a larger population sample. L2 motivation was measured by means of an instrument based on Dörnyei’s L2 Self System. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that task motivation and L2 motivation were distinct: learners’ attitudes toward the task are separate from the more generalized active/passive mindset of learning English. The results suggest the need to treat task motivation as an independent construct. The results have valuable implications for task-based research and L2 motivation research.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • Theoretical evolution of task motivation
    • Empirical studies of task motivation
      • Multiple actional contexts of task motivation
      • The task processing system
      • Task motivation as a complex dynamic system
  • The study
    • Methodology
      • Participants
    • The task
    • Instruments
      • L2 motivation questionnaire
      • Task motivation questionnaire
    • Procedure
    • Analysis
    • Results
      • RQ 1 what does task motivation entail?
      • RQ 2 is task motivation distinguishable from L2 motivation?
  • Discussion
    • Attitudes toward the task
    • Task as a diagnostic tool
    • Task motivation and L2 motivation
    • Active mind-set of learning English
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 28 August 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tblt.13.05wan
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