Regulatory focus and fit effects on task engagement: An experimental study

Abstract This study examined the effects of learners’ regulatory focus, task type, and the match/mismatch between the two on task engagement. Eighty-five learners of English as a second language at a US-American university completed a regulatory focus questionnaire, an English proficiency self-assessment, one task with a promotion focus (requiring creativity and imagination), one task with a prevention focus (requiring attention to detail and accuracy), and finally a post-task engagement questionnaire. Results showed that (1) the promotion task resulted in significantly higher levels of task enjoyment, whereas the prevention task led to higher cognitive engagement; (2) learners’ prevention focus positively predicted task anxiety in both tasks and negatively predicted task enjoyment in the promotion task, whereas the promotion focus positively predicted task enjoyment in the promotion task; and finally, (3) prevention-focused learners experienced greater enjoyment in the prevention task (matching) than in the promotion (mismatching) task, whereas promotion-focused learners experienced more enjoyment in the promotion (matching) task than in the prevention task (mismatching) supporting regulatory fit predictions. The results highlight the importance of regulatory focus and fit in task engagement.