Speaking Self-efficacy and L2 Motivational Self System in Online EFL Emergency TBLT and TSLT Classes: A Multiple-treatment Counterbalanced Experimental Study

ABSTRACT

This study examines the effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and task-supported language teaching (TSLT) on EFL learners' L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) and speaking self-efficacy (SSE) in online emergency classrooms. Since 2020, many EFL emergency online classes have been established globally due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Notwithstanding that the teaching approaches have produced positive effects on learners’ L2MSS and SSE in offline classes, it remains unclear how TBLT and TSLT can affect those factors in online emergency EFL speaking classrooms. Thus, the study recruited two groups of intermediate EFL non-English-majored first-year university students at High Quality Thinking (HQT) Education. During a two-month period, these participants alternately joined three TBLT and TSLT counterbalanced treatments of three different topics. After each online lesson, an immediate test was conducted to gather the students' perceptions of their SSE and L2MSS, followed by a two-week washout period. Results of the between-groups, within-group t-tests, and one-way ANOVA tests suggested that TBLT can be more effective in motivating students and enhancing their self-efficacy in totally online emergency speaking lessons. © 2022, The Pacific Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (PacCALL). All rights reserved.