Topic Interest and Engagement in Indonesian Primary EFL Classrooms: Cognitive, Behavioural, and Motivational Links
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1606.31Keywords:
topic interest, primary EFL learner engagement, mixed-methods, repeated-measures correlation, linear mixed-effects modelsAbstract
This study examined the relationship between topic interest and cognitive, behavioural, and motivational engagement among Indonesian primary EFL learners and whether this relationship strengthens across instructional cycles. Using a five-cycle mixed-methods longitudinal design (101 learners per cycle), we combined cycle-wise Spearman correlations, repeated-measures correlations (rmcorr) to capture within-student coupling, and linear mixed-effects models with person-mean centring to test change over time. Brief observations and student/teacher interviews provided explanatory vignettes. Cycle-wise associations ranged from moderate to very strong, and rmcorr indicated large within-student coupling between interest and each engagement strand (rrm ≈ .80–.88, p < .001). Mixed-effects models revealed robust positive effects of interest on all outcomes, as well as significant interactions between interest and cycle, indicating that the payoff of interest increased throughout the semester. Qualitative episodes illustrated mechanisms—topical resonance, clear criteria and rehearsal, and bounded autonomy—that converted value into strategy use, participation, and persistence. Findings position topic interest as a high-leverage, classroom-proximal target for primary EFL; curating resonant themes, making progress visible and manageable, and embedding minor choice points are low-cost moves that make engagement more likely and more durable over a semester.
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