Positive Psychology 2.0 in a Foreign Language Classroom: Students' Emotional Experience in English Classroom Interaction in China.

Yingna Wang,Mateusz Marecki

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789579

Abstract

The second wave of positive psychology (PP 2.0) focuses on the way positive and negative psychology complement each other in social contexts. It offers a balanced interactive model that aims at enhancing the optimal learning outcome through the interplay of positive and negative emotions. Building on a large qualitative study of students’ and teachers’ experiences in EFL classrooms in China, this paper argues that adopting the principles of PP 2.0 could deepen our understanding of learners’ emotional experience in SLA. Using one illustrative case, it shows the dynamic and complexity of students’ shifting emotions as they interact in the classroom over a span of 2 months. One major finding is that the students’ positive emotions could transcend negative emotions and influence their engagement in classroom interaction. This study contributes to the existing research into emotional experiences of classroom interaction that integrates the observable, reflective, and participatory. It draws on interrelated sets of data, including a student and teacher profile questionnaire, classroom observation and recording, student and teacher reflective journals documenting their classroom interaction experiences, and stimulated recall interviews based on recordings and reflective journals. The study in the first place has implications for English teachers and teacher trainers in China and abroad as well as researchers interested in the role of emotional experience in English language learning and teaching.

Highlights

Language learning is an emotionally charged experience
In bridging the gap identified in the literature review above, this paper aims to address the following research question: how do students experience classroom interaction emotionally in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms in China? Drawing upon the principles of positive psychology (PP) 2.0, this study considers both positive and negative emotions and explicitly focuses on the interaction between the two
Positive psychology 2.0 in Second language acquisition (SLA) offers a balanced model of investigating the interplay between positive and negative emotions

Summary

Introduction

Until the 21st century, the field of second language acquisition was dominated by studies and narratives focusing on learners’ negative emotions, such as learning anxiety (e.g., Botes et al, 2020). With a growing interest in positive psychology (PP), Second language acquisition (SLA) scholars like Jean-Marc Dewaele and MacIntyre (2014) have attempted to address that epistemic imbalance by shifting their attention to positive factors that enhance the learning experience and enjoyment, including well-being and happiness. Still, their shift toward positive emotions brings into question the role of negative emotions in the research process. This paper seeks to promote a more balanced model of PP 2.0 to stress the importance of exploring how positive and negative emotions interact and to compensate for the lack of such studies in learning contexts, in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom context in China

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