While learners’ engagement has been recognized as important for second language (L2) learning in task-based language teaching (TBLT), how engagement is manifest in learners’ L2 use during task performance and how tasks can be designed to facilitate better engagement have not received enough attention in the L2 research. This study investigates the relationship between learners’ expressed preferences for two communicative L2 tasks and their engagement in L2 use during task performance. Twenty-one learners of English as a second language (ESL) performed two distinct tasks and participated in an interview after finishing them. This article compares behavioral, cognitive, and social measures of learners’ engagement in L2 use while performing the task they preferred more and the task they preferred less as well as their expressed reasons for these preferences. The findings revealed a higher level of cognitive engagement in L2 use (i.e. greater negotiation of meaning and form) during the performance of the task they preferred more. The findings also revealed that the topic as well as opportunities to create ideas and address a genuine communicative need were the most important factors in determining learners’ expressed task preferences. Implications for task design include allowing learners to create content for the tasks they perform and choosing topics that are familiar, personally relevant, and emotionally engaging to learners.

This study examined the effect of choice on EFL learners’ task engagement. Twenty-four Thai university students completed two opinion-gap tasks. In one, they discussed and agreed on three items among given options (+constraint). In the other, they discussed and agreed on three items among the options they generated (−constraint). Spoken interaction and questionnaires were analyzed for behavioral (time on task, words produced, turns), cognitive (negotiation of meaning and form, self-repairs), social (overlaps and turn completion, backchannels), and emotional engagement (anxiety, enjoyment), based on Philp and Duchesne’s multifaceted model. The −constraint task had positive effects on all the cognitive engagement measures, but only one of the behavioral measures (turns) and one of the social measures (overlaps). Learners reported higher anxiety and enjoyment in the −constraint task. The findings highlight the interrelated multidimensional nature of learner task engagement while suggesting pedagogical implications and avenues for future research.

A case study was conducted to explore the experiences of Chinese nurses when completing a graduate nursing degree taught in English (as a second language) in the United States over a one-year period. The study explored language, academic, and social challenges perceived by the students, strategies used to overcome challenges, and academic support services designed to help students succeed in their studies. Survey data were collected at three different points in time, and three interviews were conducted with each participant. The study identified participants’ difficulty with academic writing, mixed experiences with speaking, moderate to high levels of strategy use, and appreciation of the support services offered. The study offered implications for improvements in pedagogies and programming for international students.

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