Task complexity and working memory in performing listen-to-speak integrated tasks in a second language

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effects of task complexity, perceived task difficulty, and working memory capacity (WMC) in listen-to-speak tasks, in second language (L2) English. 40 university students with Turkish as their first language (L1) participated in this study. Adopting the framework offered by the cognition hypothesis, this study manipulated the structural demands of the listen-to-speak tasks using an outline. Listen to-speak tasks are taken and adapted from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) official website. Perception of task difficulty was measured using a 10- item Likert scale questionnaire. WMC was measured through Turkish translations of operation span (OSpan) and running span (Run Span) tasks. Dimensions of L2 performance i.e., syntactic complexity, lexical complexity, accuracy, fluency, and content were separately measured. Multivariate and univariate repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed that task complexity had a significant effect on all the above mentioned dimensions of L2 performance as well as the content. Stepwise multiple regression results demonstrated that task complexity could explain syntactic complexity, accuracy, and content while perceived task difficulty could account for lexical complexity. WMC, on the other hand, could explain fluency. The study concluded that task complexity influences all aspects of task performance; however, its effect is moderated when learner factors (perceived task difficulty and WMC) are considered.