Tracking learner engagement in the L2 classroom with experience sampling

Abstract

Learner engagement is a major predictor of success in L2 acquisition (Hiver et al., 2021). It is therefore important to be able to measure and track engagement levels over time. This may provide theoretical insight into the conditions (both internal and external to the learner) in which engagement is more likely to occur, as well as offer implications for pedagogical practices to create such conditions. However, current research on L2 engagement suffers from a number of shortcomings: 1) Much of it is carried out in highly controlled research settings and lacks ecological validity, 2) Scaling, for example by increasing the number of research contexts or participants, is often impossible, 3) Current methods are often highly intrusive, for example requiring learners to interrupt learning activities in order to respond to questions, 4) Many studies are of short duration and thus unable to capture variation over time, and, 5) Many studies only investigate small student populations in a single environment. To overcome these shortcomings, we designed a mobile application for use by teachers in class to record L2 engagement levels through experience sampling, a method used to collect data on learner experiences in-the-moment. In this article we describe the application, the process by which we validated the instrument, and demonstrate its usefulness as a research and pedagogical instrument based on a 1-year pilot study.