Pia Resnik

Emotion regulation strategies, which refer to the processes individuals use to influence their emotional experiences and expressions, have been widely studied in general education. However, their role in foreign language (FL) learning is still under-researched. This study investigates how cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, two commonly applied strategies, influence English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ experiences of positive and negative emotions in EFL classes and their relationship to FL learning outcomes, specifically, their willingness to communicate (WTC) and their self-perceived communicative competence (SPCC). Data were collected from 234 Iranian EFL learners from private language schools. Using latent variable modelling, cognitive reappraisal was found to positively predict both WTC and SPCC, whereas expressive suppression negatively predicted SPCC and showed no significant direct association with WTC. Mediation analyses further revealed that foreign language enjoyment (FLE) positively mediated the relationships between both regulation strategies and SPCC, as well as between cognitive reappraisal and WTC, while foreign language anxiety (FLA) negatively mediated these relationships. In several cases, strong positive indirect effects via enjoyment counterbalanced or outweighed negative indirect effects via anxiety, highlighting the central role of positive emotions in shaping communicative outcomes. Overall, the findings emphasise the importance of emotion regulation processes in FL learning and suggest that fostering adaptive regulation strategies that enhance enjoyment may be particularly beneficial for learners’ communicative confidence.

This study builds on insights into the crucial role learner emotions play in their flourishing. It investigates learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on how to enhance positive emotions both inside and outside modern foreign language classrooms in England, amidst a language crisis and reduced modern foreign language uptake across the United Kingdom. A thematic qualitative text analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews with secondary-level teachers and learners from 7 schools across England revealed that both learners and teachers emphasise the significant impact of teachers on fostering positive emotions in the classroom. They also showed that students lack awareness of the benefits of learning languages beyond English. Furthermore, the interview data suggests that the government, schools, school leaders, and parents must also engage to elevate the status of modern foreign languages and promote positive social change.

While the role of positive emotions and positive character traits in people's flourishing has been researched extensively in the context of foreign language (FL) learning and teaching, the role positive institutions play regarding teachers’ well‐being and their emotions experienced in the FL classroom has been largely neglected. With a Web survey, this study investigates the relationship between positive practices at work and well‐being among 263 Austrian FL teachers, as well as the effect these positive variables have on FL teaching enjoyment (FLTE) and FL teaching anxiety (FLTA). Latent modeling indicated that positive school leadership and positive practices in school, more generally, were both positive predictors of teachers’ well‐being. The dignity and respect, support, caring, and inspiration experienced between all employees had a stronger effect on teacher well‐being than school leadership though. Additionally, well‐being positively predicted FLTE, and it negatively predicted FLTA. Neither school leadership nor positive practices in school directly predicted teachers’ emotions in the FL class. Overall, this study shows that exploring teacher emotions holistically is just as important as research into learner emotions, and researching the interplay of the individual and institutional levels is particularly crucial to gain a nuanced understanding of the role of emotional contagion.

The past decade has seen a blossoming of emotion research in applied linguistics, which led to a deeper understanding of the crucial role both positive and negative emotions play in the context of foreign language (FL) learning. In this paper, we will outline a research agenda arising from the rich knowledge gained so far, which we hope inspires researchers to pursue future directions which we consider highly relevant for both researchers and practitioners alike. Firstly, we review the development of foreign language learner emotion research and identify research gaps. This will be followed by a discussion of four broad areas in which we perceive the pressing need for future research to advance our understanding of the role of emotions in foreign language learning. These include 1) the diversification of emotions studied, 2) a better understanding of emotion dynamics, 3) the need to diversify research contexts, and 4) bridging the research-practice gap. For each of these areas, we will outline tasks, taking into account the latest developments in theory and methodology, which we hope will advance our knowledge gained from this dynamic, thriving field of study.

Shao et al. (2023) make a number of critical comments on our previous research on foreign language (FL) emotions, but also add debatable claims, present an inaccurate view of existing research and present an instrument, the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire – Second Language Learning (AEQ-L2L), that does not capture the full range of habitual positive and negative emotions in regular FL classrooms by focusing exclusively on learner emotions during exams. We agree with the authors that some early scales had unclear factor structures but claiming that therefore these scales are invalid and unreliable is unjustified. We do not deny that the AEQ can provide a comprehensive measure of emotion, but it does not prioritize the context which is fundamental in research on FL learners’ classroom emotions. Moreover, the AEQ-L2L is too long to be reasonably included in complex studies.

The imposter phenomenon (IP), which is characterized by a sense of incompetence and self-perceived intellectual inferiority due to being unable to acknowledge one’s own achievements and abilities despite objective success, is widely recognized as a common experience with detrimental effects in academic settings. Yet, its role in the context of foreign language (FL) learning remains underexplored. This study investigates the role of the experience of IP among 397 tertiary-level FL learners of English, possible effects of demographic and language use variables, as well as the extent to which IP affects students’ foreign language enjoyment (FLE), their foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), and engagement with FL learning. Statistical analyses of data gathered with a web survey revealed that younger, female participants were more likely to experience IP, as were those who perceived their standing in the group of learners as below average. Additionally, latent modeling indicated that IP was linked to both FLCA and FLE, and it predicted the performance engagement of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Overall, this study provides evidence as to the presence of IP in EFL classrooms and makes a case for the variable to be included in further studies of the nomological network of individual difference variables.

Learner autonomy is widely acknowledged as playing a crucial role in successful language learning. However, less is known about how it functions and interacts with other key variables specifically in online settings where its role may potentially be even more significant. This study investigates the role of learner autonomy in learners’ experience of positive and negative emotions, willingness to communicate (WTC), and their academic achievement in online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes at the secondary level. Data were collected from 490 learners in an Austrian vocational school during 29 online EFL lessons using a web survey. The data were analysed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that the level of learner autonomy predicted both foreign language enjoyment (FLE) (positively) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) (negatively), as well as learners’ WTC and grades (positively). Both positive and negative emotions predicted learners’ academic achievement, but only FLCA negatively predicted WTC. A mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between learner autonomy and academic achievement is mediated by learner emotions, while its relationship with WTC is mediated by FLCA. Overall, the study demonstrates the value of learner autonomy in predicting language learning success, reflected in learners’ grades and their readiness to communicate in the FL language.

This introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Positive Psychology and Wellbeing’ begins by outlining the history and relevance of Positive Psychology (PP) for ELT. A key construct in PP is wellbeing, which all the papers in this Special Issue focus on. In this introductory article, we describe how the term wellbeing has been used and how it is defined in this collection. We discuss why wellbeing matters in language learning and teaching and point out some of the key controversies surrounding this term. We then introduce the nine articles highlighting their unique contributions to furthering our understandings in this field. We conclude by reflecting on key practical implications derived from the contributions and by presenting possible avenues for future research in this area. Our hope is that this collection of papers will serve as an impetus for innovations in practice, research, and theoretical thinking about this vitally important topic.