Presentation given at Osaka JALT Back to School event, April 2011.

1. Informing a task-based approach
with L2 motivation research
Julian Pigott. University of Warwick.
julianpigott@gmail.com

4. [I]ndividual difference research can tell us very little
about particular students sitting in our classroom,
about how they are (un)motivated and why. Research
on motivation has … depersonalised learners so that it
is not people but their componentalized subpersonal
parts that are orchestrating courses of action.
(Ushioda, 2009).
Traditionally, we have tried to break down motivation to the
lowest possible denominators, hoping that the resulting
motives would be ‘pure’ components that can then serve as
building blocks for all motivational phenomena. This
approach has by and large failed (Dörnyei, 2009).

5. Ushioda's Person-in-context
relational view of motivation
The person-in-context, rather than context-
independent, abstract 'variables' should be a basic unit
of understanding for teachers and researchers (2009).

6. Some suggestions:
The learner as individual:
● Use tasks students find enjoyable/satisfying/effective etc.
● Adjust the fluency/form balance to meet individual needs.
The learner as class member:
● Group roles and cooperative task goals.
● Use tasks that entail interacting with lots of different class
members.
● Projects ideal vehicle for the above.
The student as member of society:
● Broaden the scope of tasks and lessons in general.
● Use of the L1 on the part of students and teachers.

7. Dörnyei's motivational conglomerates
Interest Task
engagement
motivation
cognition
affect
Flow Self-guides

8. Suggestions:
Interest:
● Whet students' appetite for tasks.
● Storytelling.
● Prioritise content over form.
● Extend scope of post-task to non-linguistic features.
Motivational flow:
● Keep a record of tasks that give rise to 'flow'
● Problem-solving/puzzle tasks.

9. (Continued....)
Motivational task-engagement:
● Novelty, intrigue, humour (note – difficult in L2)
● Tangible finished products
● Provide strategies for task execution.
Motivational self-guides:
● Tasks about the future
● Explore culture
● Tasks that use role models
● Explore prejudice and stereotyping through tasks.

10. Implications for TBL
● Tasks as not self-contained – they
exist in context.
● TBL as a principled and flexible
approach
● Everybody should use task-cycles.

11. TBL Principles (Nunan, 2004) Motivation Principles (Pigott
2011)
Needs-based approach Humanistic approach
Communicating through Judicious mix of L1 and L2.
interaction in the L2.
Use of authentic texts Use of texts that students find
motivating, authentic or
otherwise.
Using personal experiences Use of personal experiences, and
also imagination, dreams,
fantasy, creativity and role-play.

12. Thanks for listening
Please join our SIG!
julianpigott@gmail.com