英语论文网

h school students to enrich the literature on language learning curiosity and engagement. This study uncovered the positive correlation between curiosity and engagement in the language learning context, providing new evidence for relevant theories. 

As for practical significance, this study revealed the levels of English learning curiosity and engagement of Chinese senior high school students. The results may help English teachers understand the current state of student language learning curiosity and engagement and lay the foundation for developing students’ language learning curiosity and engagement. Furthermore, this study unveiled the relationship between language learning curiosity and engagement, which can help teachers explore ways to improve students’ curiosity and engagement in English learning. With an emphasis on students’ psychology, this study will raise teachers’ attention to the importance of students’ psychology in English learning, allowing them to focus on students’ well-being. 

Chapter Two  Literature Review

2.1 Studies of Language Learning Curiosity

2.1.1 Definitions of Language Learning Curiosity

Although definitions of curiosity vary across researchers, there is a consensus about the core nature of curiosity, which emphasizes that curiosity is an internal desire to acquire new information that stimulates exploratory behavior (e.g., Berlyne 1978; Litman & Spielberger 2003; Litman & Jimerson 2004). For instance, Litman (2007) defined curiosity as “an intrinsic desire to know, to see, or to experience that motivates information seeking behavior” (p. 9). 

Since the 1950s, curiosity has been considered a virtue and one of the main goals of education (Berlyne 1978), and psychologists have conducted a great deal of research on curiosity. Berlyne (1954) categorized curiosity into two groups. The first group consists of perceptual curiosity and epistemic curiosity. Perceptual curiosity is triggered by visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli and can increase an individual’s perception of stimuli that provoke curiosity. Triggered by conceptual confusion or gaps in knowledge, epistemic curiosity refers to the “drive to know” (Berlyne 1954: 187), and its “main fruits are knowledge” (Berlyne 1954:180). The second group includes diversive curiosity and specific curiosity. Diversive curiosity refers to a general search for stimuli associated with boredom. Specific curiosity is a craving to master a specific knowledge point (Loewenstein 1994). In addition, state-trait curiosity is a model of curiosity that has received considerable attention (Loewenstein 1994). State curiosity is a temporary motivational, emotional state. Trait curiosity is a relatively fixed characteristic (Spielberger & Butler 1971). Compared to other conceptualizations of curiosity, epistemic curiosity has gained more attention in educational psychology, given its high relevance to students’ academic and cognitive development (Lowry & Johnson 1981;). Since the present study focused on curiosity in learning, the curiosity explored in the current study was epistemic curiosity. 

2.2 Studies of Engagement in Foreign Language Education

2.2.1 Definitions of Engagement 

The definitions of engagement vary across researchers. Reeve (2012) defined engagement as “the extent of本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。