The Role of Relevance in Group Work Among Learners of French as a Foreign Language: An Arcs Model Perspective

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of relevance in group work on learners’ attention, satisfaction, and confidence using Keller's ARCS motivational model in the context of foreign language learning. A quantitative survey design of 35 items covering four constructs: relevance, attention, satisfaction, and confidence, was adapted from Keller (1979), Bateman et al. (2002), and Studnicka (2023). Data were collected from 169 undergraduate French learners from a public university in Malaysia and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Significant positive relationships were found between relevance and all three variables. The relationship between relevance and attention scored the strongest correlation (r=.927) and (p=<.001). However, no significant differences were found across academic clusters. These findings suggest that relevant and meaningful group work promotes effective language learning and boosts learner motivation.