VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Social task engagement has been extensively explored within task-based language teaching settings. However, research on this construct situated within a text-driven, task-based (TDTB) approach remains an emerging strand. Adopting a descriptive quantitative research design with supplementary qualitative insights, the current study aimed to examine fifty Vietnamese English-majored students’ social task engagement in the TDTB approach. The participants engaged in two 50-minute TDTB lessons designed around two engaging texts. Their social engagement in the two text-driven tasks was measured using an adapted five-item dimension of a task engagement questionnaire. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of participants to gain deeper insights into their interactional experiences. With reference to Oxford’s (1990) framework, the findings revealed that students demonstrated a high level of social engagement in both tasks. Notably, a higher level of engagement was recorded in Task 1, which was driven by a text about a Monkey bridge. This quantitative finding was supported by interview data, in which several students reported that the familiarity and relevance of the topic encouraged more active peer interaction and idea sharing. Furthermore, student–student engagement was found to outweigh teacher–student interaction in both tasks; interview responses also indicated that learners felt more comfortable negotiating meaning and expressing ideas with peers in a collaborative setting. The study concludes with further discussions, limitations, and suggestions for future research.