Researchers claimed that in design based research, theory and the design of instructional materials are inextricably intertwined (Dede, Nelson, Ketelhut, Clarke, & Bowman, 2004). To achieve the synergy between theory and design, Pardo-Ballester and Rodrfguez (2009) suggested that the formulation of criteria grounded in theory for the development of instructional materials is one way to foster the dynamic interaction between theory and design. Therefore, this literature review contains a brief introduction to studies in task engagement and studies in the application of task engagement in CFL teaching and learning to establish theoretical framework to set up criteria for the development of engaging CFL learning materials.