Regulatory focus and fit effects on task engagement: An experimental study

IF 4.2 1区文学 Q1 LINGUISTICS

Applied Linguistics Pub Date : 2025-06-30 DOI:10.1093/applin/amaf035

Mostafa Papi, Yiran Zhang, Yang Zhou, Claudia J Kim, Mahshid Mahbodi, Mijin Eom, Chen Jiang

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Abstract

This study examined the effects of learners’ regulatory focus, task type, and the match/mismatch between the two on task engagement. Eighty-five learners of English as a second language at a US-American university completed a regulatory focus questionnaire, an English proficiency self-assessment, one task with a promotion focus (requiring creativity and imagination), one task with a prevention focus (requiring attention to detail and accuracy), and finally a post-task engagement questionnaire. Results showed that (1) the promotion task resulted in significantly higher levels of task enjoyment, whereas the prevention task led to higher cognitive engagement; (2) learners’ prevention focus positively predicted task anxiety in both tasks and negatively predicted task enjoyment in the promotion task, whereas the promotion focus positively predicted task enjoyment in the promotion task; and finally, (3) prevention-focused learners experienced greater enjoyment in the prevention task (matching) than in the promotion (mismatching) task, whereas promotion-focused learners experienced more enjoyment in the promotion (matching) task than in the prevention task (mismatching) supporting regulatory fit predictions. The results highlight the importance of regulatory focus and fit in task engagement.

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调节焦点与契合对任务投入的影响：实验研究

本研究考察了学习者的调节焦点、任务类型以及两者的匹配/不匹配对任务投入的影响。一所美国大学的85名英语作为第二语言的学习者完成了一份监管重点问卷、一份英语水平自我评估问卷、一份促进重点任务（要求创造力和想象力）、一份预防重点任务（要求注意细节和准确性）以及最后一份任务后参与问卷。结果表明：(1)促进任务显著提高任务享受水平，而预防任务显著提高认知投入水平；(2)学习者的预防关注正向预测两种任务中的任务焦虑，负向预测晋升任务中的任务享受，而晋升关注正向预测晋升任务中的任务享受；最后，(3)以预防为中心的学习者在预防任务（匹配）中比在促进（错配）任务中体验到更大的乐趣，而以促进为中心的学习者在支持调节拟合预测的促进（匹配）任务中比在预防任务（错配）中体验到更多的乐趣。研究结果强调了监管重点和任务参与的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Applied Linguistics LINGUISTICS-

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

8.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Applied Linguistics publishes research into language with relevance to real-world problems. The journal is keen to help make connections between fields, theories, research methods, and scholarly discourses, and welcomes contributions which critically reflect on current practices in applied linguistic research. It promotes scholarly and scientific discussion of issues that unite or divide scholars in applied linguistics. It is less interested in the ad hoc solution of particular problems and more interested in the handling of problems in a principled way by reference to theoretical studies.