Personal Investment in L2 Task Design and Learning:

A Case Study of Two Chinese Majors at a Japanese University

Craig Lambert and Kaori Nishi

The University of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan

This talk will present an approach to second language (L2) pedagogy that consists of “reverse-engineering” typical L2 communication tasks to improve both learner motivation and learning outcomes in the classroom. The first part of the talk will provide practical examples of how the approach can be used with a representative variety of communication tasks; the second part will summarize the results of a case study in which the approach was piloted with Chinese majors at a university in Japan. The talk will stress how the effects of increased motivation can be observed and how these behaviors are connected to L2 acquisition. It is hoped that the talk will provide participants with both a creative approach to communicative, task-based Chinese instruction as well as new insights into how Chinese language education might be improved internationally by incorporating a broader perspective on learner motivational psychology.

Presenter 1 Presenter 2

Family name: 1) Lambert 2) NISHI

First name: 1) Craig 2) Kaori

Names in Chinese characters: 1) 克雷格 2) 西香织

Gender: 1) Male 2) Female

Highest degree: 1) M.A. TESOL

2) PhD. Language & Culture

Job title: 1) Associate Professor of English

2) Associate Professor of Chinese

Affiliation: 1) Department of English

2) Department of Chinese

Faculty of Foreign Studies

The University of Kitakyushu