Exploring Learners’ Emotional Engagement in Text-Driven Task-Based Lessons: Implications from an EFL Setting

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research article

Authors
S. T. Huynh 1
L. V. Nguyen 2
1 Can Tho University; An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
2 Can Tho University
Abstract
Research on L2 learners’ engagement has highlighted the impact of emotional engagement on task performance to uphold their language development, but there remains a need for further empirical evidence, especially from the text-driven perspective on task-based language teaching. The present mixed-methods study aims to explore Vietnamese EFL learners’ emotional engagement during two task-based lessons driven by two text genres. One speaking task and a writing task that engaged the learners in solving problems driven by the texts were implemented in two three staged lessons. Quantitative data was collected by using a post-task questionnaire analyzed with SPSS v.29 to gauge 33 English undergraduates’ emotional engagement, and an interview was conducted with eight students on a voluntary basis to delve into factors that influence their emotional engagement. Observations during the lessons were further used to triangulate evidence. Descriptive statistics revealed that the participants were highly emotionally engaged in both task-based lessons, expressing high enjoyment and low anxiety. Further thematic analysis of engagement during the lessons indicated that pre-task visual prompting, text processing, the proper cognitive challenges of tasks and texts, and peer monitoring were the main influential factors. These findings imply that task design and implementation based on engaging texts potentially heighten learners’ emotional engagement in task-based performance, thereby facilitating their language acquisition.

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Available Online from 13 July 2025