Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
Published on: July 13, 2019
Towards Conceptualizing Language Learning Curiosity in SLA: An Empirical Study
Masoud Mahmoodzadeh1, Gholam Hassan Khajavy2
1English Department, Iran Language Institute (ILI), Mashhad, Iran.
Abstract:
Why do some students frequently ask questions and actively seek out answers in the classroom, while others avoid this? Many language teachers might have commonly asked themselves this question. The present study is an empirical investigation of the concept of curiosity in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Using a mixed-methods design, we aim to conceptualize language learning curiosity (LLC) within the framework of interest/deprivation (I/D) model of curiosity (Litman and Jimerson in J Personal Assess 82(2): 147-157, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8202_3 ) and see how it may be recognizably distinct from L2 psychological constructs, as well as how it connects with related constructs such as willingness to communicate, enjoyment, and anxiety. To measure LLC and depict its underlying dimensions, a new curiosity scale was developed and validated in this study. Overall, our results suggest that LLC can be conceived as an affective-cognitive variable reflecting an inquiry-driven interest and desire to learn and use a foreign language.
Related Concept Videos
Language
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Empirical Method to Interpret Standard Deviation
This rule is used widely in statistics to calculate the proportion of data values...
Components of Language
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language and Cognition
Bioavailability Enhancement: Determination and Conceptual Approaches in Overcoming Bioavailability Problems

