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Signature Page Signature Page THE INTERACTION OF TOPIC CHOICE AND TASK-TYPE IN THE EFL CLASSROOM A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education By John P. Thurman August, 2008 © Copyright 2008 by John Thurman iii ABSTRACT This study was an examination of the effect that three levels of topic choice (no choice, limited choice, and complete choice) would have on students’ Task Interest and Task Self-efficacy (Study 1, 78 participants), and on three aspects of students’ oral output: Accuracy, Complexity, and Fluency (Study 2, 42 participants in 21 pairs). Also examined were the effects that three types of tasks (descriptive, narrative, and decision- making) exerted on these five variables. Data were collected using a questionnaire for Study 1 and recording the participants’ conversations for Study 2. Data were collected in nine consecutive treatments to examine the main effects of choice and task, and the interaction effects of choice and task, using two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs. For Study 1, limited choice promoted Task Interest for the descriptive and narrative tasks, and Task Self-efficacy for the narrative and decision-making tasks to a statistically significant degree. In addition, the descriptive task had the highest Task Interest for the no choice and complete choice treatments and had the highest Task Self- efficacy for the no choice of topic treatment. The findings generally indicated that the participants were more interested in the task when there was choice, and that this led to higher levels of Task Interest and Task Self-efficacy. The Study 2 results indicated that Complexity was significantly higher when choice was introduced for the descriptive and narrative tasks. Accuracy and Fluency were not influenced to a statistically significant degree by choice, but they were positively influenced nonetheless. Attentional resources may have been freed up when choice was iv introduced and the participants may have been more willing to take risks, both possibly causing the significantly higher levels of complexity for choice. Suggestions for further research include a closer examination of the process students use when choosing a topic and examining ways for a more efficient method of introducing choice into the task-based language teaching syllabus. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped to bring to fruition this study. First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. David Beglar. His advice, patience, and guidance have brought this about from a nebulous beginning. Without his help, this study would never have happened. I would also like to thank the members of my committee for the time they took to read and participate in the defense committee. I would like to thank Dr. Donna Tatsuki, from Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, and Dr. John Norris, from the University of Hawai’i. I would also like to thank Dr. Kenneth Schaefer from Temple University for his support. All of your comments are reflected in this final product Last but not least, I would like to thank Dr. Mark Sawyer from Kwansei Gakuin University. My first class at Temple University was taught by Dr. Sawyer eight years previous. It was only proper that he should be there at the end. Others helped as well along the way. Dr. J.D. Brown was influential and helpful in seeing this study to its close. Others have given me their knowledge during this journey. They are Drs. Dwight Atkinson, David Andrich, Christine Casanave, Nick Ellis, Rod Ellis, Robert Gardner, Gabriele Kasper, Michael Long, Peter MacIntyre, Sandra McKay, and Steven Ross. All are present in this study and it could not have been done without the knowledge they passed on. For helping me to begin this doctoral program, I would like to thank Dr. Jan Eyring of California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Robyn Najar of vi Flinders University, and Mr. Kinji Ikuta, formerly of Kochi Women’s University. Without them, I would not have been able to get this far. Many people have helped with their time to bring this study to completion. I would especially like to thank Hirohito Kusamitsu for arranging help with a great part of the transcribing. I would also like to thank Naoko Okumura, Maki Fujiwara, Ikuko Higashida, Rieko Tokunaga, and Yuko Tsuji for additional help with transcribing. I would also like to thank Mayumi Matoba for help with the after-task survey. For help with reading the thousands of data cards, I would like to thank Naoki Naito, Kenji Fujiwara, and Mika Arima for their help with this. I would also like to thank Kiho Tanaka of Doshisha University for help with survey materials. Lastly, I would to thank Dr. Toshihiko Yamaoka of Hyogo University of Education, all the members of my doctoral cohort, my family and friends, and everyone else who gave their moral support that helped me to finish this study. Lastly, but certainly not leastly, I would like to thank my wonderful wife for patience and understanding during this journey. Thank you Setsuko. vii To my wonderful wife Setsuko I dedicate this project. Without your understanding and patience this would never have been done. Thank you, my wife. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ............................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ vi DEDICATION ......................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................... xviii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................. xxiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Task-based Language Teaching �������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Task-Based Language Teaching in Japan ������������������������������������������ 2 Motivation and Language Learning ��������������������������������������������������������� 2 The Aims of This Study ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 3 The Significance of This Study ���������������������������������������������������������������� 4 The Delimitations of This Study �������������������������������������������������������������� 6 The Audience for This Study ������������������������������������������������������������������ 6 The Outline of This Study ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Tasks in Language Teaching ���������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Definitions of a Task in Task-Based Language Teaching ������������������������������ 10 ix Task Features ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Open and Closed Tasks ������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Convergent and Divergent Tasks ������������������������������������������������� 15 One-Way and Two-Way Tasks..................................................... 15 Required or Optional Information Exchange Tasks �������������������������� 16 Task Topic Influences ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Discourse Mode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 Task Difficulty ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Robinson’s Model of Task Complexity, Task Difficulty, and Task Conditions �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 Comprehensible Output and Task Production ������������������������������������������ 21 Assessing Output �������������������������������������������������������������������� 23 Research on Accuracy, Complexity, and Fluency ����������������������������� 28 Working Definition of a Task ��������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Choice ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Culture and Choice ������������������������������������������������������������������ 32 The Effect of Too Much Choice ��������������������������������������������������� 34 Self-Determination Theory ������������������������������������������������������������������ 36 Amotivation �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 Extrinsic Motivation ���������������������������������������������������������������� 38 Intrinsic Motivation ����������������������������������������������������������������� 40 Three Components of Intrinsic Motivation ������������������������������������ 41 Autonomy and the Japanese Self ����������������������������������������������������������� 42 x Amae ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44 Self-Determination Theory and Language Learning Motivation �������������������� 45 Self-Determination Theory and Language Learning Motivation in Japan �������� 47 Autonomy and Language Learning ������������������������������������������������������� 49 Definitions and Early Research ��������������������������������������������������� 50 Autonomy as a Degree of Capacity ����������������������������������������������� 50 Littlewood’s Model of Language Learning Autonomy ����������������������� 51 Proactive and Reactive Autonomy �����������������������������������������������
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