In recent years, there has been a growing interest in research on language teacher emotions while relatively fewer studies have focused on language teachers’ professional pride. This study aims to develop and validate a scale for language teacher pride (LTP), and it seeks to understand how this critically important emotion may be linked to other central, conceptually related constructs including wellbeing, work engagement, and burnout. Data were collected employing an online questionnaire in which 423 language teachers from 52 countries took part in the study. The results of exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and exploratory structural equation modeling revealed that the newly constructed Language Teacher Pride Scale (LTPS) reflects the multifaceted nature of LTP as a positive emotional experience. We further found that language teachers with a heightened sense of pride in their teaching were more engaged in their work, had higher wellbeing, and were less prone to burnout. We hope that the results of this study will aid future research by informing policy and practice as well as theory building about the role of pride as a potential core construct in positive psychology, which can help us to understand and support teacher flourishing.

Emotional engagement (EE) has emerged as a central factor in sustaining learners’ motivation and cultivating environments that promote both academic success and personal well-being. Central to fostering EE is perceived teacher emotional support (PTES), characterized by teacher behaviors such as warmth, empathy, and responsiveness that contribute to a positive and motivating classroom climate. However, the complex and reciprocal relationship between PTES and EE remains insufficiently explored. This study seeks to address this gap through the lens of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST). Utilizing data collected over the course of a semester from 126 fourth-year English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, the study employed cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) to investigate between-person effects and random intercept CLPM (RI-CLPM) to analyze within-person dynamics. The findings revealed a reciprocal relationship: Higher levels of EE enhanced learners’ perceptions of teacher support, while greater teacher support contributed to increased EE over time. The results underscore the mutually reinforcing relationship between PTES and EE, illustrating how these dynamics vary both within and between individuals. This research offers practical insights for teachers, advocating for the creation of emotionally supportive classroom environments that enhance learner EE and ultimately contribute to greater success in second language (L2) learning contexts.

To gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), researchers have leveraged various quantitative and qualitative methods. Considering the quantitative methods, researchers have mostly relied on variable-centered approaches to examine the relationships between FLA and other variables. However, less attention has been given to person-centered approaches, which aim to identify subgroups of a population to better understand individual differences and heterogeneity. This study applies latent profile analysis (LPA), a robust person-centered method, to uncover FLA profiles and to examine the predictors and outcomes of FLA profiles. To this aim, we first reviewed person-centered methods, addressing best practices and methodological considerations for conducting LPA. For the empirical study, we gathered data from 384 tertiary-level EFL learners using a questionnaire, which measured their FLA, achievement goals, and willingness to communicate. The LPA results revealed five distinct latent profiles of FLA, characterized not only by the intensity of anxiety but also its manifestations and triggers. Each profile also showed meaningful differences in achievement goals and willingness to communicate. By applying LPA, we could gain a deeper understanding of how FLA is experienced across different learner subgroups. We believe person-centered approaches, such as LPA, provide additional value to investigate anxiety and other emotions in language education research.

High stress predicts mood and anxiety disorders and can necessitate clinical intervention (Steffen et al., 2014). Language learners often experience high stress during intensive study abroad (SA) programs (Dewey et al., 2018), which can hinder communication (Buttaro, 2004; Peck, 1974). Acculturative stress is common among second language (L2) speakers and can coincide with stress related to theinability to communicate one’s thoughts and ideas (Savicki, 2010), further complicating communication. Therefore, reducing stress in immersive settings can be crucial due to the link between stress, L2 use, and psychological well-being (Dewaele & Dewaele, 2021). We report an exploratory investigation of the relationship between heart rate variability – a physiological measure of adaptation and positive functioning in stressful conditions – and personality and how these relate to the linguistic development of 21 students studying L2 Arabic intensively for 13 weeks, including heart rate variability (HRV), personality assessments, and language proficiency. Thisresearch demonstrates a key link: Personality traits predicted HRV, and HRV predicted Arabic language acquisition and its progression during SA. These findings highlight the potential of using HRV data, alongside other metrics, to improve L2 learners’ SA experience by addressing the influence of anxiety and emotions.

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.

Applications of self-determination theory in second or foreign language (L2) learning have continuously provided crucial implications but remain limited in terms of sample scope and the comprehensiveness of tested models. This is particularly important in a large yet under-researched context such as Saudi Arabia, as it enables a stronger assessment of the external validity of the theory. In this study, data were collected from 815 undergraduate students across 35 universities in the country to examine the relationships among the three basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, classroom engagement, and grade point average (GPA) in English as an L2. Results showed that variable levels were moderate. A series of one-way ANOVAs indicated that all study variables were consistent across age, gender, and geographical location. Using set-exploratory structural equation modeling (set-ESEM), we found that the effect of the three basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation on GPA was solely indirect through classroom engagement. Moreover, the influence of classroom engagement on GPA was itself indirectly mediated by intrinsic motivation. Implications for both theory and L2 educational practice are discussed.

Metacognitive knowledge significantly influences English vocabulary knowledge. However, few longitudinal studies have explored the reciprocal growth trajectories of metacognitive knowledge and English vocabulary knowledge over time. The present study explores how young primary school learners develop their metacognitive knowledge and vocabulary knowledge from Grade 3 to Grade 6.The longitudinal sample included 361 Grade 3 (third-year primary school) students (M = 9.60 years, SD = 0.85). The participants completed tests of metacognitive knowledge and vocabulary knowledge on four occasions. The metacognitive knowledge test focused on students’ cognitive activities, whereas the vocabulary knowledge test focused on learners’ breadth of vocabulary knowledge. Cross-lagged panel analysis was employed to explore the reciprocal effects of metacognitive knowledge and the breadth of vocabulary knowledge. The results supported the role of metacognitive knowledge in developing the breadth of vocabulary knowledge, and vice versa. Implications for young learners’ longitudinal development of metacognitive knowledge and vocabulary knowledge are discussed.

Motivational regulation has been recognized as a crucial component of self-regulated learning. This paper presents the validation of a measure of motivational regulation strategies in an English as a foreign language context (MRS-EFL). A sample of 587 college freshmen attending an English enhancement course was recruited for data collection. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported the eight-factor structure of motivational regulation strategies, indicating a strong psychometric basis. The eight-factor 30-item scale showed good validity and reliability as well as invariance across gender. The results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) further revealed discrepancies in motivational regulation strategies among students of various English proficiency levels. Our findings suggest that the MRS-EFL can serve a dual purpose, both as an evaluation instrument for educators to assess motivational regulation strategies among students and as a research tool for researchers to investigate the impact of motivational regulation strategies on English learning outcomes.

Using high-quality articles obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, this paper seeks to offer an overview of research on ELT textbook content spanning from 2003 to 2022. We first identify publication trends, prolific journals, highly cited papers, and influential references. Then, we code the collected data across four dimensions: research topics, analytical tools, textbook types, and textbook levels. Key findings reveal that there is growing academic interest in this field, with vocabulary and gender ideology as prominent themes, alongside emerging topics like task, linguistic complexity, and environmental values; and we find that corpus-based and (critical) content analyses are widely used methods. Furthermore, the distribution of research efforts appears uneven across primary school, secondary school, and university levels, as well as in the study of general English textbooks and English textbooks for specific purposes. This paper will be valuable for stakeholders involved in ELT textbook development, particularly those new to the field and seeking guidance on current research trends, methodological approaches, and emerging themes in textbook content analysis.

Language anxiety (LA) is among the most researched emotions in language learning research. Mirroring the recent dynamic turn in the broader field, LA researchers are increasingly interested in the situation-specific and dynamic nature of anxiety (Elahi Shirvan & Taherian, 2021; MacIntyre, 2017). In practice, this must be accompanied by a movement towards methodologies sensitive to potential dynamic changes in LA within and across various contexts. The idiodynamic methodconstitutes one such approach, which allows researchers to investigate moment-to-moment changes in situated LA (e.g., MacIntyre & Gregersen, 2022; Macintyre & Legatto, 2011), whereas general self-report questionnaires implemented longitudinally typically capture changes at the level of weeks and months. However, quantitative studies on the intermediate timescales, at the level of hours and days, as well as those comparing LA across different contexts, remain comparatively rare. In this paper, we explore the potential of the experience sampling method (ESM; Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 1987) as an approach to conducting longitudinal studies of LA in a variety of contexts at this timescale, within and beyond the language classroom. Drawing connections to recent theoretical and methodological developments, we reflect on how the ESM complements existing measures and provide practical guidance for researchers interested in integrating the method into their own studies.