The Effect Of Task Types On Learner Engagement In Senior High School English Classrooms

With the increasing popularity of Task-based Language Teaching,the studies on tasks in classroom interaction have attracted second language scholars’ attention.Peer interaction has gradually been a frequently used teaching form in English classrooms.However,not all members would engage in interaction effectively,so it is necessary to determine the effectiveness of learner engagement in the task-based interactional language classroom.This study aimed to investigate the effect of task type on learner engagement in senior high school based on sociocognitive theory.Two oral task types were used（the decision-making task and the free conversation task）in light of whether the result was convergent or divergent.Learner engagement was defined as a multidimensional construct including behavioral,cognitive,social,and affective.The study involved 40 high school freshmen from one class in Hui Zhou who were asked to perform two oral task types in group interaction based on the regular teaching schedule,and tasks were designed according to the reading and thinking part of the English textbook.The interactive process was recorded through voice recorders.After each task,participants were asked to fill out the affective engagement questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were conducted on ten students.The recordings were transcribed and encoded employing NVIVO 11,and then all indicators to measure learner engagement were analyzed through Pair-samples T-tests of SPSS 26.Besides,interview contents were analyzed by NVIVO 11 to further investigate the effects of task type on learner engagement.The results found that task type had a positive impact on learner engagement,namely,participants in the decision-making task generated more behavioral,cognitive,and affective engagement than free conversation task but no significant difference in social engagement.To be more specific,the decision-making task had a positive effect on time on task,turns and words（behavioral engagement）,negotiation of meaning（cognitive engagement）,learners’ attitudes to the task itself and the task completion process（affective engagement）.Participants thought the decision-making task was more interesting and not easy to be distracted.This study may provide some pedagogical implications for Senior High School English teachers to design oral tasks.