Toward the Role of L2 Enjoyment in EFL Students' Academic Motivation and Engagement.

Shanshan Liu

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.822588

Abstract

Since students' academic success is tied to their academic motivation and engagement, determining the predictors of these two variables seems critical. So, several inquiries have inspected the role of students' emotional and personal variables in their academic motivation and engagement. Nonetheless, the function of L2 enjoyment as an important emotional factor has remained elusive. Moreover, no inquiry has reviewed this issue neither systematically nor theoretically. To fill these lacunas, this review study aims to explain definitions, dimensions, and theoretical frameworks of L2 enjoyment, student academic motivation, and student academic engagement. This study also intends to outline the positive consequences of L2 enjoyment for students' academic engagement and motivation. Relying on the theoretical and empirical evidence, the positive role of L2 enjoyment in raising EFL students' engagement and motivation was firmly affirmed. Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed.

Highlights

Academic motivation and engagement are inseparable aspects of students’ success in educational settings (Roksa and Whitley, 2017; Kahu and Nelson, 2018)
This review study is an attempt to address these gaps by offering a through description of these constructs (i.e., L2 enjoyment, academic motivation, and academic engagement), their theoretical underpinnings, and their associations
Building upon “Control-value Theory (CVT)” (Pekrun et al, 2002), Dewaele and Li (2020) suggested that different L2 learning outcomes such as L2 motivation and academic engagement can be positively influenced by positive achievement emotions, including L2 enjoyment

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Academic motivation and engagement are inseparable aspects of students’ success in educational settings (Roksa and Whitley, 2017; Kahu and Nelson, 2018). Students’ intrinsic motivation and academic engagement as instances of their personal resources can be strengthened as a result of positive emotions, including L2 enjoyment In light of this theory, MacIntyre and Gregersen (2012) stated that positive emotions such as L2 enjoyment prompt language learners to become engrossed in the learning process. Building upon “Control-value Theory (CVT)” (Pekrun et al, 2002), Dewaele and Li (2020) suggested that different L2 learning outcomes such as L2 motivation and academic engagement can be positively influenced by positive achievement emotions, including L2 enjoyment In this regard, Kahu et al (2015) illustrated that in the presence of positive academic emotions such as L2 enjoyment, language learners tend to invest more time and effort toward learning a new language. The results demonstrated a strong and favorable association between L2 enjoyment and student motivation

CONCLUSION AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

ETHICS STATEMENT

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT