Motivational factors in listening-to-write and listening-to-speak tasks

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Judith Kormos

Lancaster University

*work done together with Tineke Brunfaut and Marije Michel

 

 

Previous studies have examined the association between trait-like motivational characteristics and achievement, but considerably less is known about young language learners’ task-specific motivation in integrated skills tasks. In this talk I present the results of our recent study which examined the task performance and motivation of young learners of English in computer-administered speaking and writing tasks and the relationship between task performance and task motivation. Children completed three tasks: a listening-to-write task, which required a summary of a listening text, and two listening-to-speak tasks, in which they had to retell a listening text with academic and non-academic content respectively. Students also filled in a task-motivation questionnaire. The students found the listening-to-speak task significantly more difficult, more anxiety-provoking and less enjoyable and they judged their competence lower than in the listening-to-write task. Task-motivational factors accounted for a low level of variation in task-performance. The presentation draws on students’ qualitative comments in the questionnaire to account for these results and concludes with implications for task design.