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Oral Interaction in the EFL Classroom: The Effects of Instructional Focus and Task Type on Learner Affect
Author(s) -
VAN BATENBURG ELINE S. L.,
OOSTDAM RON J.,
VAN GELDEREN AMOS J. S.,
FUKKINK RUBEN G.,
DE JONG NIVJA H.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the modern language journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.486
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1540-4781
pISSN - 0026-7902
DOI - 10.1111/modl.12545
Subject(s) - affect (linguistics) , psychology , willingness to communicate , foreign language , task (project management) , multilevel model , english as a foreign language , instructional design , mathematics education , social psychology , computer science , communication , management , machine learning , economics
Little is known about the effects of different instructional approaches on learner affect in oral interaction in the foreign language classroom. In a randomized experiment with Dutch pre‐vocational learners ( N = 147), we evaluated the effects of 3 newly developed instructional programs for English as a foreign language (EFL). These programs differed in instructional focus (form‐focused vs. interaction strategies‐oriented) and type of task (pre‐scripted language tasks vs. information gap tasks). Multilevel analyses revealed that learners’ enjoyment of EFL oral interaction was not affected by instruction, that willingness to communicate (WTC) decreased over time, and that self‐confidence was positively affected by combining information gap tasks with interactional strategies instruction. In addition, regression analyses revealed that development in learners’ WTC and enjoyment did not have predictive value for achievement in EFL oral interaction, but that development in self‐confidence did explain achievement in EFL oral interaction in trained interactional contexts.