Emotion in Second Language Writing

Abstract

Emotions have been a point of interest for psychology researchers for decades and equally so for second language acquisition (SLA) researchers, although the content of SLA research has typically been limited to negative emotions for most of that time. The broaden‐and‐build theory of positive emotions has given rise to emotion studies in SLA research in the first quarter of the 21st century, this time with increased focus on both negative and positive emotions. Even though the immediate context of L2 writing seems to have fallen behind emotion research in comparison to the more holistic studies in SLA, research has significant implications for the teaching and learning of L2 writing. In this entry, the emotional domain of L2 writing is presented, drawing from studies in both psychology and SLA.