Language Learning in Tandem: Motivating through Mutual Exchanges

This peer-reviewed conference paper was presented at the 1st International Conference on University, Enterprise, and Society (UES), Madrid, Spain, June 2019. The study examines the impact of structured face-to-face tandem language exchanges on learner motivation, autonomy and identity development in higher education contexts. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design over a twelve-week intervention, the research combines quantitative analysis (paired-sample and independent t-tests) with qualitative learner reflections. While statistical findings did not demonstrate significant increases in motivational intensity, qualitative data indicate strengthened intrinsic orientation, enhanced autonomy and identity enactment through authentic interaction. The study contributes to ongoing research at the intersection of Applied Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition and higher education pedagogy, situating tandem learning as a site of motivational consolidation rather than escalation. A revised and expanded version of this research was subsequently published as a book chapter in Nuevas Visiones en Educación y Empresa para una Nueva Sociedad (Editorial Fragua, 2019).