The effectiveness of using group tasks in enhancing intrinsic learning motivation of junior secondary school students in Hong Kong ESL classrooms

Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) has been widely known in Hong Kong education. The adoption of group tasks in Hong Kong secondary schools is not significant with different concerns and traditional pedagogies raised by English Language teachers. This research paper aims at investigating the relation between group tasks and the intrinsic learning motivation of junior secondary students. Semi-structured interviews were carried out for collecting pre-service teachers’ and junior secondary students’ opinions on the use of group tasks in English lessons and the challenges they encountered. This article offers an analysis of the reasons and factors of adopting group tasks in Hong Kong English classrooms and the perceptions of the pre-service teachers and students towards the use of group tasks in strengthening students’ English learning motivation.