Task Value, Teacher Enthusiasm, and Student Engagement in Online Second Language Learning: A Latent Moderated Model

ABSTRACT This study pursued two objectives: (1) to test the moderating role of perceived teacher enthusiasm in the relationship between L2 students’ task value belief and engagement in online learning; and (2) to test this moderation using the latent moderated structural equation modeling (LMS) approach. The first objective was motivated by the rapid expansion of online language education programs, particularly since the COVID‐19 pandemic, and the growing concern about how to foster L2 student engagement in this environment. The second objective stemmed from the need for a more robust methodological alternative to the regression‐based approach to testing moderation effect commonly used in the second language research literature. Data were collected from 317 Vietnamese EFL learners enrolled in an online undergraduate English for specific program at a university in Vietnam. Using a four‐step procedure for testing the latent moderation effect, we found that perceived teacher enthusiasm neither predicted L2 student engagement nor strengthened the positive effect of task value belief. Instead, low levels of perceived teacher enthusiasm reversed the positive effect of task value on L2 engagement, suggesting that even if L2 students highly value online learning content, their engagement still declines if they perceive teachers as unenthusiastic. The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature on teacher enthusiasm and L2 student engagement in online learning. Practical implications are also provided for designing online learning environments that are more conducive to L2 student engagement.