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Students’ Openness to Task-Based Language Teaching

A comparison of English and German learners using

structural equation modeling

Attila Wind, Nóra Németh Tartsay, László Katona, & Kata Csizér

This study was funded by the Research Programme for Public Education Development of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The presenters are members of the MTA-ELTE Foreign Language Teaching Research Group.

Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia 2026 – 7 June, Tokyo, Japan

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Research Group

MTA-ELTE Research Group

MTA = Magyar Tudományos Akadémia (in English: Hungarian Academy of Sciences)

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Research Group

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Overview

  1. Background to the Study
    1. The Hungarian context
    2. TBLT and PBL
    3. Students’ openness to problem-based learning
    4. Possible antecedents to students’ openness to problem-based learning
  2. Research questions and our initial model
  3. Methods
  4. Results
  5. Discussion
  6. Conclusions

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1(a). Background to the Study: The Hungarian Context

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Hungary:

  • monolingual, landlocked country in Central Europe, 93,000 km2

Population:

  • around 10 million people, 99.4% with Hungarian as L1

National Core Curriculum:

  • compulsory start age for FLL: Grade 4 (age 10)
  • five possible FLs
  • second FL: Grade 7/9 (anything the school can offer)

Compulsory school-leaving exam in one FL

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1(a). Background to the Study: The Hungarian Context

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EU statistics:

  • Hungarians score low in FL knowledge compared to other countries (Eurostat, 2022)

Teaching is:

  • often frontal
  • focus on grammar and vocabulary (Öveges & Csizér, 2018)

Success:

  • passing exams (Öveges & Csizér, 2018)

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1(b). Background to the Study: TBLT and PBL

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) are ‘pedagogical siblings’.

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Constructivism

TBLT

PBL

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1(b). Background to the Study: TBLT and PBL

Both emerged from constructivist educational theory

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Instead of passively absorbing information from a lecture, ⭢

learners construct knowledge actively by interacting with the world.

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1(b). Background to the Study: TBLT and PBL

Definition of problem-based learning (PBL) =

a student-centered instructional approach where students learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended, real-world problem.

Features of PBL (Savery, 2015):

  1. Students are responsible for their own learning
  2. Problems must be ill-structured
  3. Learning must be integrated from a wide range of subjects
  4. Collaboration is fundamental
  5. Reapplication of new knowledge gained during self-directed learning
  6. Closing analysis
  7. Self- and peer-assessment at the end of each unit

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1(b). Background to the Study: TBLT and PBL

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A Nested Relationship

PBL = macro-framework

TBLT = micro-action

When applied together, a single overarching, messy problem in a PBL unit is broken down into a series of highly structured, communicative tasks in TBLT.

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PBL

TBLT

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1(c). Background to the Study: Antecedents to PBL

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Teacher's Evolving Role

(Henry et al., 2019)

Teachers need to transition from authoritative figures to facilitators, emphasizing authentic language use and fostering supportive environments.

This shift encourages:

  1. independent problem-solving
  2. engagement with real world language applications.

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Role of Contact

(Chan, 2018; Kalocsai, 2013)

Direct and indirect contact with diverse language speakers significantly shapes motivation.

Bridging the gap between classroom and real-world language use, often through authentic tasks, enhances students' linguistic and cultural adaptability.

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1(c). Background to the Study: Antecedents to PBL

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Background Knowledge

(Dochy et al., 2005)

Prior knowledge:

  1. reduces cognitive load
  2. improves task performance in FL learning.

Engaging with complex, real-world problems in PBL requires students to leverage existing schemas to construct new understanding and process language efficiently.

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Lexico-Grammatical Challenges (Vygotsky, 1978; Swain, 2000)

Linguistic competence is foundational for cognitive development.

Addressing challenges such as English influence on German, German's inflected nature, dialectal variations, insufficient native language knowledge, and complex grammar is vital for effective PBL participation.

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2. Research questions and our initial model

Direct positive effects

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Direct positive effects

TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ASIA 2026, TOKYO, JAPAN

Lack of background knowledge

Perceived teacher facilitation

Lexico-grammatical challenges

Perceived teacher facilitation

Perceived teacher facilitation

Students’ openness to PBL

Contact with language outside the classroom

Students’ openness to PBL

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2. Research questions and our initial model

Direct negative effects

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Direct negative effects

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Students’ lexico-grammatical challenges

Contact with the language outside the classroom

Lack of background knowledge

Contact with the language outside the classroom

Students’ lack of background knowledge

Students’ openness to PBL

Students’ lexico-grammatical challenges

Students’ openness to PBL

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3. Methods

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Research design

Quantitative based on the results of qualitative studies (focus-group interviews)

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Participants

431 students (245 English as their first foreign language; 186 German)

Age: English sample (M = 15.59 years; SD = 2.02); German sample (M = 16.34, SD = 1.38)

Gender: English sample (114 males, 131 females); German sample (90 males, 96 females)

14 different schools (mainly from Budapest, but countryside too)

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3. Methods

  1. Instrument (questionnaire):
    1. The role of teacher:
      • My teacher helps me overcome the difficulties I experience while learning English.
    2. Lexico-grammatical difficulties:
      • I find learning the spelling of English words difficult.
    3. Openness to problem-based learning:
      • I think linking classroom learning with language use outside the classroom is a good thing.
    4. The role of background knowledge:
      • I have no experience regarding the topics we cover in our foreign language class.
    5. Outside contact with the language:
      • The foreign language in class is completely different from how it is used outside school.

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3. Methods

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Procedure

Data were collected online via questionnaire

Teachers were contacted first and were asked to share the link with their students

Voluntary participation

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Data analysis

Structural equation modelling (SEM) in JASP

Assumptions of performing a SEM were checked.

  1. Mardia’s coefficient value = statistically significant that indicated a non-normal distribution.
  2. no systemic data were detected,
  3. dataset (N = 431) met the sample size criterion.

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4. Results

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Initial model

X2 (431) = 8907.355

p < .001

CFI = 0.690

TLI = 0.675

RMSEA = 0.108

GFI = 0.932

Reliance on the CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and GFI fit indices (Hu & Bentler, 1999).

Poor fit to the data ⭢ we removed items whose factor loadings were below 0.40 (Pett et al., 2003)

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Final model

X2 (431) = 542.542

p = <0.001

CFI = 0.963

TLI = 0.957

RMSEA = 0.057

GFI = 0.990

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4. Results

Hypothesized positive relations

  1. Lack of background knowledge ⭢ perceived teacher facilitation
  2. Lexico-grammatical challenges ⭢ Perceived teacher facilitation
  3. Perceived teacher facilitation ⭢ openness to PBL
  4. Contact with the language outside the classroom ⭢ openness to PBL

Hypothesized negative relations

  1. Lexico-grammatical challenges ⭢ contact with language outside the classroom
  2. Lack of background knowledge ⭢ contact with language outside the classroom
  3. Lack of background knowledge ⭢ openness to PBL
  4. Lexico-grammatical challenges ⭢ openness to PBL

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5. Discussion (positive relations)

Perceived teacher facilitation ⭢ openness to PBL

What students perceive as support and facilitation from their teachers leads to openness to PBL in them.

Teachers have probably moved away from their authoritative roles, which involves the teaching and testing of standardized linguistic norms tied to native speakers (Seidlhofer, 2011).

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Lack of background knowledge ⭢ contact with language outside the classroom (different polarity)

Initially expectation: the lack of schemata might lead to difficulties when tackling real-life language tasks thus potentially leading to avoidance of contact (Ellis, 2003; Dochy et al., 2005; Robinson, 2011).

Our data: students lacking background knowledge might be inclined to compensate for this lack by seeking out opportunities for having more contact with the language they are learning.

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5. Discussion (negative relations)

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Lack of background knowledge ⭢ perceived teacher facilitation (Different polarity)

Initial expectations: having problems might lead to heavier reliance on teachers and more appreciation of their assistance since their help is perceived as useful (Barrows, 1986; Ellis, 2003; Robinson, 2011)

Our data: sensing a lack of background knowledge about the themes and topics that are addressed in the FL classroom is associated with a lack of perceived teacher facilitation.

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Lexico-grammatical challenges ⭢ openness to PBL

Those learners who struggled with problems deriving from either the lexis or the grammar of the language they were learning tended to be less open to PBL.

Literature: Learners who have problems with certain aspects of the linguistic code they are trying to acquire are less likely to be open to an educational approach which favors open-ended problems and experimentation (Csizér & Illés, 2020; Csizér & Perge, 2023; Swain, 2000; Vygotsky, 1978).

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6. Conclusion

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The findings suggest that student receptiveness to PBL is bolstered by two key components:

  1. having supportive instructors
  2. gaining exposure to the target language outside of academic settings, while problems with the linguistic code affect it unfavorably.

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References

Barrows, H. S. (1986). A taxonomy of problem-based learning methods. Medical Education, 20(6), 481–486. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1986.tb01386.x

Chan, J. (2018). Contexts, problems and solutions in international communication: Insights for teaching English as a lingua franca. Journal of Asia TEFL, 15(2), 257–275. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.2.1.257

Csizér, K. & Illés, É. (2020). Helping to maximize learners’ motivation for second language learning. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 19, 19–31. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2020.19.02

Csizér, K., & Perge, G. (2023). Némettanárok véleménye nyelvoktatással kapcsolatos nehézségekről: Egy feltáró fókuszcsoportos interjúkutatás [German teachers’ views on challenges in foreign language teaching: An exploratory focus group interview study]. Modern Nyelvoktatás, 29(3–4), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.51139/monye.2024.1-2.7.23

Dochy, F., Segers, M., Van den Bossche, P., & Gijbels, D. (2005). Effects of problem-based learning: A meta-analysis. Learning and Instruction, 15(5), 533–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(02)00025-7

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.

Eurostat. (2022). Foreign language skills statistics. European Commission.

Henry, A., Sundqvist, P., & Thorsen, C. (2019). Motivational practice: Insights from the classroom. Studentlitteratur.

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References

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Kalocsai, K. (2013). Communities of practice and English as a lingua franca: A study of students in a Central European context. Walter de Gruyter.

Robinson, P. (2011). Second language task complexity, the Cognition Hypothesis, language learning and performance. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Second language task complexity: researching the cognition hypothesis of language learning and performance (pp. 3–38). John Benjamins Publishing Company

Savery, J. R. (2015). Overview of problem-based learning: Definitions and distinctions. In A. Walker, H. Leary, C. E. Hmelo-Silver, & P. A. Ertmer (Eds.), Essential readings in problem-based learning: Exploring and extending the legacy of Howard S. Barrows (pp. 5–15). Purdue University Press.

Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford University Press.

Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford University Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

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Thank you for your attention

wind.attila@btk.elte.hu

nemeth.nora@btk.elte.hu

katona.Laszlo@btk.elte.hu

wein.kata@btk.elte.hu

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TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ASIA 2026

This study was funded by the Research Programme for Public Education Development of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The presenters are members of the MTA-ELTE Foreign Language Teaching Research Group.