The link between learner engagement and self-regulation. A multiple case study

Abstract

The topic of language learners’ engagement, which has enjoyed immense popularity in recent years, emerged more than 20 years ago from the explorations of individual and social variables in task performance. In the domain of second/foreign language acquisition, what has attracted much attention is the relationship between engagement and other approximate concepts, such as motivation, interest, or investment, but little is known about the connection between self-regulation and engagement. Hence, the present study was undertaken to explore the connection between L2 learners’ engagement and their self-regulated strategy use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two students, labeled by their teachers as highly engaged, and another two, described as disengaged. The results suggest that the two frameworks are interconnected but not fully analogous, with the main difference lying in the conceptualization of the role motivation .