Towards a Discerning Image of Learners’ Estimation of Task Difficulty and Motivation: Goal Orientations Highlighted
Towards a Discerning Image of Learners’ Estimation of Task Difficulty and Motivation: Goal Orientations Highlighted
Keywords: goal orientation, familiarity, individual differences, motivation, planning, task
Mohamed Ridha Ben Maad
University of Carthage, Tunisia
Bio Data
Mohamed Ridha Ben Maad is an Assistant Professor at the Higher Institute for Childhood Education, University of Carthage-Tunis, Tunisia. His main research interests are in applied linguistics and second language acquisition. He also participates in research projects related to early childhood education.
This article is based on an experimental study which focused on goal orientation as a researchable learner difference factor in order to explore the nature of interaction between second language learners and language tasks. The study aimed to examine the extent of goal orientation in language learners’ profile and how this learner difference variable affects their perception of task difficulty and motivation. Analysis of the findings revealed two unrelated goal orientations which reflected two significantly different response types to task difficulty. As one goal orientation group responded positively to unfamiliar and unplanned tasks, the other goal group did not. In view of these findings, the article accentuates the need to revisit the established task research format that confines task variation to design and sequencing factors and eclipses individual differences.
Category: Main Editions, Volume 14 Issue 3
