Mapping the interactions between task sequencing, anxiety, and enjoyment in L2 writing development

This study explores the relationships between task sequencing, task anxiety, task enjoyment, and second language (L2) writing development. While L2 writing is influenced by various factors, including task sequencing and learner-related variables, empirical evidence on the interactions between task sequencing and task emotions in L2 writing development is scarce. To address this gap, 75 L2 English students performed nine versions of three decision-making tasks in different sequences (simple to complex, complex to simple, or random) over nine weeks. The participants completed post-task questionnaires on their perceptions of the tasks, task anxiety, and task enjoyment, and their essays were analyzed for syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF). Linear mixed-effect modeling examined the effect of task sequencing on CALF measures and task emotions. Results revealed that the simple-to-complex group had the best performance in CALF measures compared to other groups. Furthermore, the complex-to-simple group outperformed the random group in accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency measures. Participants showed improved writing over time and experienced less task anxiety and more task enjoyment in the simple-to-complex group. Overall, this study suggests that task sequencing plays a crucial role in L2 writing development by improving learners’ performance, enjoyment, while reducing anxiety.