Researching task difficulty: towards understanding L2 proficiency

Tavakoli, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0807-3709 (2009) Researching task difficulty: towards understanding L2 proficiency. In: Benati, A. G. (ed.) Issues in Second Language Proficiency. Continuum. ISBN 9780826435156

Abstract/Summary

The prime purpose of this article is to put teachers’, learners’ and research perspectives of task difficulty (TD) together and to investigate whether teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of and criteria for TD are in line with the available research on TD. A summary of three interrelated empirical studies on learner and teacher perceptions of TD is presented before the findings are discussed in light of the current models of TD. The chapter concludes by arguing that cognitive demands of a task are a signifcant factor that contributes to TD and should be considered more critically by L2 educators and SLA researchers.