The Role of Two-way Information-Gap Tasks on Students’ Motivation in Speaking Lessons in an ESP Context

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most important skills in language education. However, it becomes more challenging when it is taught in second or foreign language classrooms. For that reason, the present study aims to investigate the role of two-way information gap tasks in students’ motivation in a speaking lesson in an ESP context. The participants are students in a two-year civil aviation program. The program aims to educate students to become qualified employees in the aviation sector. Therefore, students are taught how to communicate with foreign passengers in various situations, from providing a comfortable flight to dealing with flight emergencies using English. To that end, an open-ended motivation questionnaire adapted from Wallace and Leong (2020) was given to the students. The questionnaire inquired about the students’ feelings towards English and their perceptions about whether tasks motivated them or prepared them for their professions. Following the initial examination of the answers in the questionnaire, interview questions were formulated to enrich the data, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with the students on a voluntary basis. The data were analyzed, and the emerging themes were discussed in relation to the research questions formulated for the purposes of this study. The results revealed positive feelings and perceptions toward tasks. Most of the students found tasks motivating and fun. The most salient finding was the students’ perception of tasks as preparatory work for the future due to their instrumental motivation.