TBLT require students to perform numerous communicative pair or group works, but it’s hard for teachers to implement TBLT by traditional textbooks (Carless, 2004). In addition, teachers are rarely trained to use TBLT in their classes, so they might have some misunderstandings towards TBLT (Carless, 2003; Li, 1998). Although professional textbooks
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and training are insufficient, teachers still could overcome these obstacles with additional preparation. Teachers could extract some language items from textbooks and adapt TBLT based on the context (Muller, 2005), but having thorough understanding toward the rationale of TBLT is the golden rule. Therefore, the researcher in the present study would conduct literature review to have the overall understanding to TBLT and to take the teaching context into consideration by making SWOT analysis, and extract some language items from textbooks and the Grades 1-9 Curriculum Guidelines.
2.2.6 Research on Task-based Language Teaching in Taiwan
In the last decade, many researchers have been devoted to explore the effect of TBLT on Taiwanese primary students’ English proficiency. In speaking ability, both Chin (2011) and Lin (2011) found that primary students could improve their English speaking competence and communicative willingness through TBLT. Besides, primary students could also benefit their reading and writing competence from TBLT (Hus, 2004). Especially in vocabulary learning, many studies indicated that TBLT has positive effect on primary students’ English vocabulary learning (Chou, 2007; Ho, 2006; Tang, 2012; Tsai, 2007; Tu, 2012).
Furthermore, some researchers indicated that TBLT provide primary students overall English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Chen (2008) indicated that low-achievers have significant improvement on their basic English competence; besides, Tseng (2006) found out that high-achievers also have significant improvement on their overall English competence and all of the students (i.e. high-achievers, middle-achievers, and low-achievers) have positive attitude toward TBLT.
Some researchers claimed that TBLT makes primary students think English learning is fun and, meanwhile, builds up their confidence (Chen, 2011; Fan Chiang, 2006; Lin, 2005;
Tu, 2012). Chen (2011) pointed out students love to learning English through tasks and could build up their metacognition through TBLT; besides, Lin (2005) claimed that TBLT could motivate students in English learning. To sum up, TBLT has positive effect on Taiwanese primary students’ English proficiency, and learners also have positive attitude toward TBLT.
2.3 Learning Motivation
Learning motivation is one of the important factors for English learning, and students’
learning motivation is the complex combination of their goals, believes, self-efficiency, environment, and others’ expectancy (McCown, Driscoll, & Roop, 1996). Once instructors understand the rationale of learning motivation, they could design appropriate activities to
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enhance students’ learning motivation and help them achieve better English achievement.
Therefore, the researcher would like to explore the definition of learning motivation, the empirical basis for learning motivation, motivation in foreign language learning, the models of increasing learning motivation, and state the learning motivation in the present study.
2.3.1 The Definition of Learning Motivation
People have six kinds of desires and needs to form the motivation: the need of exploration, the need for manipulation, the need for activities, the need for stimulation, the need for knowledge, and the need of ego enhancement (Ausubel, Novak, & Hanesian, 1978).
Based on these six types of needs, motivation could be regarded as an intrinsic drive and would vary according to the outside environment; therefore, changing the environment to meet these needs could enhance the motivation. Besides, Brown (2000) argued that these needs have special connection with learning motivation for second language learning. In other words, the learning motivation usually accompanies with the satisfaction of the needs.
Leaning motivation in second language learning is defined as learners’ communicat- tive needs and the attitude towards the second language community (Lightbown & Spada, 2006). According to Dörnyei (2001b), the learning motivation for second language learning is related to students’ achievement, the attitude toward the culture and the people, or the combination of both; besides, he argues that learning motivation contains choice, effort, and persistence. Moreover, Robert, Gardner, Masgoret, Tennant, and Mihic (2004) defined learning motivation as the combination of motivational intensity, desire to learn, and attitudes toward learning the language, and it’s also the reason why learners learning the language.
Based on the above definition, learning motivation includes three factors: elicitation, maintenance, and target-oriented. No matter motivation originates from inner or outer, it’s essential to attract learners’ notice (i.e., elicitation). In addition, people have inherent curiosity, so catching students’ attention is quite easy. The difficult part is to maintain their motivation, and maintenance is the challenge for teachers. Finally, the goal of teaching is to help students to attain their learning achievement. Once students get the achievement under teachers’ guidance, they could attribute their learning success to the learning motivation.
Therefore, instructors have to understand the origins of learning motivation and how to arouse learners’ motivation; then, they would know students’ needs and could help students to attain better learning achievement.
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2.3.2 The Empirical Basis for Learning Motivation
Different psychologists have different explanation for learning motivation.
Behaviorism claims learning comes from the connection between behaviors and reinforcements, and it ignores learners’ mental abilities. Cognitivism originates from behaviorism, but it regards learning motivation as the attitude toward learning and emphasizes students’ mental abilities. Humanism objects to behaviorism and cognitivism, it argues that learning motivation is the intrinsic drive and leads self-actualization. Social learning theory combines behaviorism and cognitivism, and it also combines the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Because there are many theories about learning motivation, the researcher would like to explore the relevant theories related to the present study (Chang, 1996).