Psychology Of Language Learning Research Articles

Buffering the Effects of Students’ Perceived Task Difficulty on Cognitive Engagement in EFL Writing Classrooms: The Role of Foreign Language Enjoyment and Growth Mindset

Submitted Currently, research on second language acquisition (SLA) and psychology of language learning has conceived foreign language learning as a complex system of beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and actions that contribute immensely to shape students’ learning experiences. The significance of such research lies in the fact that they provide a holistic perspective of FL learning by considering the multiple and interrelated interactions of beliefs, emotional and cognitive factors, rather than examining any single variable in isolation. Therefore, this study seeks to provide such insights by examining the interaction between perception of task difficulty and cognitive engagement in an EFL writing classroom, taking into consideration the possible effects of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and mindset on such relationship. Data were collected from 218 Saudi undergraduate students using a questionnaire. Results revealed that: a) students’ perception of task difficulty is linked to their cognitive engagement; b) FLE acts as a buffer against the negative effects of difficult EFL writing tasks on students’ cognitive engagement; c) growth mindset has no moderating role in the relationship between perceived difficulty and cognitive engagement.

The structure of ability beliefs in EFL classrooms: A cross-theoretical analysis bridging self-efficacy and perceived competence needs satisfaction

Theoretical parsimony represents one avenue forward for the study of positive psychology in language education. This study examined two well-recognized but interconnected concepts in the context of second language classrooms: academic self-efficacy rooted in Social Cognitive Theory and competence need satisfaction derived from Self Determination Theory. The investigation sought to show the distinctions and intersections in these constructs, underscoring the necessity for empirical scrutiny to establish their coherent definitions. We aim to present both concepts within a unified framework in order to facilitate a meaningful connection between the two theories. A sample comprising 181 students attending a private junior-high school in urban Japan participated in this study by completing widely used scales measuring self-efficacy and perceived competence. The research employed conventional independent cluster confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), bifactor-CFA, bifactor-ESEM, and the S-1 model for comparative analysis. Among these, the S-1 model emerged as the most theoretically sound model with a good fit and absence of anomalies. Furthermore, the factor representing global perceived competence needs satisfaction exhibited a strong association with students’ later academic achievements. These results indicate the potential cross-theoretical nature of competence beliefs and carry implications for both theory and practice in the psychology of language learning.

Exploring Teaching Anxiety in Pre-Service ESL Teachers within the Malaysian Context: Conceptual Study

Anxiety is a topic that has been predominantly explored in the field of English learning. Unfortunately, within this extensive scholarly discourse, the prevailing trend has been to direct the bulk of attention and investigation toward unravelling the intricacies of anxiety experienced by foreign or second language learners, leaving a conspicuous absence in the thorough examination and understanding of anxiety in the context of teachers and educators involved in language instruction. As mentioned in language learning psychology, there is a similar tendency to focus primarily on research on language learners' psychology while ignoring language teachers' psychology (Mercer, 2018). However, anxiety related to speaking English while teaching has been identified as a distinct challenge affecting the success of language teaching and learning. Even experienced teachers can face this obstacle. This concept paper aims to explore the factors contributing to English language teaching anxiety among practicum teachers in Malaysian public schools. The study will employ the FLTA questionnaire, consisting of 27 out of 45 questions, to collect relevant data. The anticipated findings will serve as a roadmap for researchers, potentially paving the way for further studies on effective strategies to manage teaching anxiety among language educators.

Towards Clarification of the Second Language Learner Engagement Construct: Taking Stock of its Conceptual Overlap and Hierarchical Structure

Abstract L2 learner engagement is an emerging but critical construct in the field of psychology of language learning and teaching. However, research on L2 learner engagement has suffered from the inconsistent operationalization of the multidimensional structure of the construct and the conceptual overlap among its different components, making research synthesis and comparison across studies and contexts challenging. This study tested the utility of the bi-factor exploratory structural equation modelling framework (B-ESEM)—an overarching psychometric framework that can address the two critical concerns associated with the operationalization and measurement of L2 learner engagement. Data were collected from 413 Vietnamese EFL students. Through two stages of rigorous and strategic data analysis, the results suggested that participants’ responses to the L2 learner engagement scale could be best represented by a B-ESEM model that simultaneously assessed the global L2 engagement factor along with the specific components of behavioural, cognitive, affective, and social engagement while, at the same time, controlling for the cross-loadings of items onto non-target factors. Results of the study were discussed from both psychometric and substantive perspectives and implications were provided to capitalize on the utility of the B-ESEM approach in the assessment of L2 learner engagement.

Lessons from exceptional language learners who have achieved nativelike proficiency: Motivation, cognition and identity

Work in ‘ultimate attainment’ attests to an adult learner’s ability to pass for a native speaker in a second language (L2) community (e.g. Moyer 2021). There are, however, several questions inviting further enquiry into the late L2 learners’ approach to advanced attainment, including ‘how do they marshal different resources—often complex and shifting—to achieve remarkable learning outcomes?’, and ‘can their success be repeated by other students?’ With such questions in mind, the book under review is concerned with life experiences and learning practices of carefully sourced individuals who have reached advanced mastery of a second language. It not only explores these individuals’ language learning trajectories in a systematic fashion but also examines the sources of exceptionality and the factors that intersect in the process of exceptional language learning. In contrast to earlier work, which modelled exceptionality through quantitative surveys and experiments, the book adopts a narrative approach to help demystify the developmental and experiential dimensions of exceptional language learning, unlock the approach such individuals adopt to engage with language learning, and uncover unique insights that are currently overlooked by research and practice in the area of nativelike language learning. The volume, through its 12 chapters, explores diverse themes (e.g. the motivational capacity of vision, the motivation–cognition interaction, and professional identity development) which are of theoretical and applied value to researchers in second language acquisition, language teachers, and scholars working in the psychology of language learning.

Social media and psychology of language learning: The role of telegram-based instruction on academic buoyancy, academic emotion regulation, foreign language anxiety, and English achievement

The great need and tendency to apply online classes ask for using new technologies in language teaching. Social Networking (SN) tools, in particular, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), open new perspectives in language learning and teaching. The employment of SN in language learning may affect the learners’ mental health and emotional safety. Despite the attributions of the Telegram application in learning and the contributions of academic buoyancy (AB), academic emotion regulation (AER), and management of foreign language anxiety (FLA) to English achievement (EA), this field was left unexplored. To this end, the current study attempted to gauge the impact of the Telegram-based instruction on AB, AER, FLA, as well as EA. 79 EFL learners took part in the research and were randomly divided in to control group (CG) and experimental group (EG). The instruction for the CG was through regular online instruction (webinar platforms). The EG received Telegram-based instruction. The results of MANOVA displayed significant differences between the post-tests of CG and EG. The findings illustrated that the Telegram instruction improved the levels of AB, AER, and FLA management, which accelerated EA. The pedagogical implications of the study were discussed and may assist learners, teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, materials developers, as well as curriculum designers.

Mobile Technologies to Improve Graduate Students' Communication Abilities

Every person has an ingrained desire to learn. Human beings have developed new approaches, methods, and tools for acquiring the language using their intellect and experiences from the prehistoric era to the modern, technologically advanced era. According to the Encyclopedia of Language Learning, since the dawn of human civilization, everyone has developed and learned in their immediate surroundings, which includes politics, economics, education, and technology. Such a setting molds and shapes human minds to act for development at every level and become motivated to accomplish goals. Through some transitional phases of English language learning, such as moving from the grammar-translation technique to more modern communicative language teaching and from computer-assisted language learning to mobile-assisted language learning, this human psychology of language learning can be realized. The subject of current education has emerged as a technology and innovation representative. The rapid advancement of technology has made it more important than ever for people to use it effectively in their daily lives. In this stage of evolution, users place a high value on finishing their tasks successfully, whether through social interaction, informational learning, or language acquisition. The rapid advancement of computer-assisted language learning and the abundance of software and web pages have led to the emergence of the acronym "MALL" (mobile-assisted language learning). A tool that is available anywhere, at any moment, has been required to access this software and websites. The fast advancement of mobile technology and the creation of ever-more-advanced features enabled mobile devices to begin aiding in and offering the resources for software and website accessibility at the same time. The laptop has taken the place of the desktop, which is now progressively being replaced by the use of a cutting-edge palm top. People can now study and acquire information thanks to technological advancements and inventions like Android smartphones, tablets, iPhones, and iPods. Any scholar who looks into determining its efficacy during the transition phase is alarmed by the context of such current, emerging issues in the study and teaching of languages. As a result, a lot of research is being done in the area of mobile technology to determine the value and efficacy of different portable devices in general and mobile-assisted language learning in particular.

A model of academic buoyancy, L2 grit, academic emotion regulation, and personal best: An evidence from EFL context

Students are the products of educational system and every strategy taken in education may foster or hinder their learning progress. Efficient instruction is achieved when emotional and cognitive heath of the learners is warranted. Despite the critical roles of Academic Buoyancy (AB), L2 grit, Academic Emotion Regulation (AER), and Personal Best (PB), studies on their reciprocal relationships are still under shadow. Thus, this investigation suggested a model to depict the interplay among AB, L2 grit, AER, and PB. In so doing, The Academic Buoyancy Scale (ABS), The Language-domain-specific Grit Scale (L2-Grit S), The Academic Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (AERQ), and The Personal Best Scale (PBS) were distributed to 435 Iranian EFL university learners at BA level. The data screening based on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) reflected that buoyant as well as gritter EFL learners are more aware of evaluating their academic emotional experiences as well as perusing their goals. More precisely, the mediator roles of AB and L2 grit on AER and PB were uncovered. The implications of this study, which advance psychology of language learning and teaching are thoroughly discussed.

The impact of mental disturbance on second language learning psychology among Chinese undergraduate students: a structural equation modelling analysis.

Recent developments in the field of second language acquisition have led to a growing interest in exploring the influential power of domain-general psychological properties in the L2 learning context. Several attempts have been made to elucidate the impact of properties such as boredom, resilience and enjoyment, etc. However, the association between psychopathology and second language learning psychology has received scant attention and has not been closely examined. Hence, the current study aims to explore the impact of mental disturbance on second language learning psychology and delineate the influential trajectory, by referring to the network approach as the theoretical foundation. Participants were 173 Chinese speakers of L2 English. By performing correlation analysis and structural equation modelling analysis, this research revealed that mental disturbance had a significant positive impact on L2 anxiety and a significant negative impact on L2 autonomy and L2 self-efficacy. L2 anxiety and L2 autonomy acted as mediating roles in the impact of mental disturbance on L2 self-efficacy, in which a chain mediation trajectory was detected. An expanded network approach was thus advanced. Pedagogical implication and future research were identified and discussed.

Emotions and multilingualism in family language policy: Introduction to the special issue

Aims: The primary aim of this special issue is to advance theoretical and empirical knowledge about the role of emotion in family language policy (FLP). To better capture the complexity and multiplicity of emotion, the issue brings together five articles that reflect on different aspects of emotions in multilingual families and approach the topic from different perspectives, methods, populations, and settings. Approach: In this paper, we first address the conceptual and theoretical grounds of emotions in multilingual families through an interdisciplinary perspective to integrate recent developments in emotion research in psychology of language learning into FLP framework. We present two distinct ways in which language and emotion intersect in different subdisciplines of linguistics and in various research contexts while we centre on the context of FLP: (1) the language of emotions and (2) emotions about language(s), linguistic repertoire, and language practices. We then introduce the articles in this special issue and address the implications for the pivotal role played by emotion in FLP and their social, cultural aspects (e.g., family ties, identity construction, agency, and socialization). Conclusions: We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research on emotion in the study of FLP and multilingualism. We emphasize the need to treat emotion as one of the individual components of multilingualism and FLP because of its critical role in multilingual parenting and/or caregiving. Originality: This special issue is devoted to a better understanding of emotion in FLP research.This introduction addresses key theoretical and methodological issues in the study of emotion in FLP. It contributes to the need for epistemological vigilance and methodological diversity in investigating emotions in multilingualism and FLP.

Investigating the Relationship between Emotional Well-being and Grit as Predictors of Saudi EFL Female Students’ Foreign Language Achievement

Research into language learning psychology has shown that personality and psychological traits have influenced learners’ academic outcomes. Nevertheless, the literature contains very little research into the positive psychology of language learners and positive constructs such as grit and well-being. Consequently, this study aimed to examine how the psychological factors of well-being and grit impact the academic achievement of foreign language Saudi female learners concerning their age. Thus, this study attempted to determine the possible statistical relationships between grit, emotional well-being, and foreign language achievement for Saudi female EFL learners. To answer this central research question, the data were obtained via an online survey of 84 Saudi EFL female college-level students. Pearson correlational tests and hierarchical regression tests were used for statistical analyses. The findings revealed that: (1) grit had a positive and significant correlation with well-being levels; 2) grit (perseverance of effort-POE) had a significant and positive relationship with well-being; (3) well-being and grit were significant predictors of participants’ academic achievement, and (4) older EFL learners had higher grit levels than their younger peers. The results imply that understanding the positive psychology of language learners contributes to helping them to achieve academic success. Based on these findings, several pedagogical implications were suggested

ON THE EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF TEACHERS' LEADERSHIP ROLE FROM THE CHANGE OF CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract Background Early childhood is an important period of language development, especially oral development. The language stimulation received by children during this period will form the continuity of their subsequent language development, and correspondingly affect the development of children's thinking, communication and cognitive ability. The language stimulation received by children during this period will form the continuity of their subsequent language development, and correspondingly affect the development of children's thinking, communication and cognitive ability. From the perspective of children's language learning psychology, they have a lot of expectations for the guiding role of teachers. However, the actual situation shows that in children's language learning activities, the role of teachers' promoters is seriously lacking, which is manifested in Teachers' low awareness of language purpose, lack of awareness of guiding communication, lack of support for children's experience and emotion, lack of demonstration and guidance and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the changes of teachers' leadership role on children's language, emotion and behavior. Participants and methods 100 preschool teachers from 15 kindergartens in Anyang City, Henan Province were observed, analyzed and interviewed by means of questionnaire and in-depth interview. According to the first-hand data collected by questionnaire survey and in-depth interview, the corresponding index system is established to study the correlation between children's language learning psychology and the effectiveness of teacher guidance and its impact on children's emotion. Results This study found that the fundamental reason for the lack of “guidance” in Teachers' language representation is that kindergarten teachers lack an accurate and profound understanding of the meaning of “guidance” and do not pay enough attention to teachers' professional language., And lack of enough motivation to improve their language literacy. At the same time, we analyzed the correlation between children's emotional regulation ability and healthy behavior. The results show that through the investigation of the impact of emotional behavior, there is a significant positive correlation between teachers' guidance and their emotional regulation ability (P < 0.01), indicating that the higher the degree of guidance, the stronger the teachers' emotional regulation ability. Emotional regulation. At the same time, the study found that the process of cognitive reappraisal is similar to epiphany problem solving. Both of them need children to re understand the problem situation in order to better explain the event. Epiphany refers to the sudden emergence of new ideas and new ideas due to an opportunity when a problem can't be solved. The representation transformation theory of insight believes that the solution of insight problem requires individuals to change the inappropriate initial representation of the problem, and establish a new and appropriate problem representation through the reconstruction of the problem, so as to solve the problem. Epiphany is a core component of the creative process. From the perspective of cognitive psychology, Epiphany involves the reconstruction of problem situation, and cognitive reconstruction is the essential feature of epiphany. There are three main factors in cognitive reconstruction: distraction refocusing, cognitive reappraisal and constructive refocusing. Distraction refocusing refers to individuals thinking about other things, preferably positive things, without keeping in touch with emotional stimuli or events; Cognitive reappraisal refers to the change of emotion by changing the evaluation of events or situations that trigger individual emotion; Constructive refocusing refers to trying to change, redefine or explain the factual characteristics of an event, such as what behavior we choose? What has happened? What can you learn from it? Instead of explaining the situation. As one of the three factors of cognitive reconstruction, cognitive reappraisal has the characteristics of creative reconstruction. Conclusion In view of the above problems, we propose an effective expression of teachers' “guidance” based on “children's position”: pay attention to children's learning needs and speech level, and guide children to express their emotions completely and accurately; Pave the way for communication and guide children to express freely and easily in aesthetic experience; Improve the mother tongue quality of kindergarten teachers and guide children to express love in the family. Preschool teachers' guidance on children's language development includes respect and care for children, mastering the law of mother tongue learning, and the value orientation of aesthetics, pleasure, motivation and communication. It can be seen that preschool teachers' guiding language is not a simple skill, but the external embodiment of internal emotion and language accumulation. This is the natural externalization of rich mother tongue literacy. Therefore, to fulfill the guiding responsibility of children's language development, preschool teachers should not only study the law of children's language learning, pay attention to children's learning and aesthetic psychology, and pay attention to the professional requirements of teachers' language, but also pay attention to improving their mother tongue literacy and reflecting on their own teaching language.

25 Years of HOW: A Celebration of Language Teaching and Learning

This article overviews the major themes and pedagogical developments that have emerged via the academic endeavors of practitioners and researchers in the last 30 years, while also touching on how my work adheres to these developments. The document starts with a brief historical background on the establishment of HOW as a resource for the academic community.
 The next part of the article deals with the theoretical tenets that have influenced my published works. One of those perspectives is the post-method pedagogy, which acknowledges the limitations of attempting to determine what the “best” language teaching method is for everyone, and proposes three parameters to guide language teaching and learning. The next perspective is the psychology of language learning, particularly positive psychology, which is a field that adds balance to the study of negative emotions in the classroom and can be the basis for interventions that aim at enhancing the language learning process. The final construct discussed in the article is metacognition, which refers to how language teachers adapt their mental processes and behaviors to the emerging demands of their context. The article concludes highlighting a number of topics that were relevant three decades ago and that will likely keep their relevance in the future: the complexity of education, the dynamic nature of context and meaning, and the examination of the role of context in the L2 teaching/learning processes, to name only three.

Introduction to the Special Issue: The Psychology of Teaching and Learning Content and Language

We are pleased to present the first special issue for the Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning (JPLL). The existence of this journal suggests an increased recognition of the importance of psychological factors in language teaching and learning. Indeed, the once emerging field of the psychology of language learning and teaching (PLLT) seems to have cemented itself as a permanent subdiscipline within applied linguistics. With this special issue we want to take the opportunity to draw attention to the psychological experiences of stakeholders in integrated content and language (ICL) settings. These settings present unique challenges and opportunities for teachers and learners and remain relatively underexplored (cf. De Smet et al., 2018; Doiz & Lasagabaster, 2018; Gierlinger, 2007; Gruber et al., 2020; Moate, 2011; Pappa et al., 2017). As such, our principle aim with this special issue is to draw increased attention to this domain of research in the hopes of uncovering ways to better support teachers and learners in these specific settings.

An Interview with Sarah Mercer on Language Learner and Teacher Well-Being

In our June 2019 LAB session on Teacher/Advisor Education for Learner Autonomy, our featured interview was conducted with Sarah Mercer, Professor of Foreign Language Teaching and Head of ELT at the University of Graz, Austria. Sarah has published a wealth of papers in the field of language and teacher psychology, and co-edited many books including, most recently, New Directions in Language Learning Psychology (2016), Positive Psychology in SLA (2016), and Language Teacher Psychology (2018). Sarah was awarded the 2018 Robert C. Gardner Award for Outstanding Research in Bilingualism in recognition of her work. We were delighted that she was able to share her knowledge on the topic of language learner and teacher well-being with us during the session.

George Herbert Mead and the Psychology of Language Learning

George Herbert Mead was an early-twentieth century American psychologist, who work on social psychology has been especially influential in sociology. Although Mead wrote a good deal on language, his work has had much less influence on linguistics and applied linguistics. Outlining key ideas from Mead’s work on the emergence of language and mind from social interaction in the environment, this paper makes a case for Mead to be considered among the foundational figures in the psychology of language learning. It argues that his work is especially worth reading as a source of ideas that might underpin an ecological view of the psychology of language learning.

Thoughts on the Launching of a New Journal: A Complex Dynamic Systems Perspective

The launching of The Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning is a signal achievement. I begin this commentary by speculating on why it is that the Psychology of Language Learning (PLL) has enjoyed such vigor of late. I expect that one reason is the coming together of a critical mass of researchers and strong leaders over their shared interests. A second reason may be that a new way of looking at familiar phenomena was introduced in the form of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST). Building on this supposition, I proceed to recommend extending CDST thinking in some new ways in PLL. These ways are phenomenological, relational, processual, and transdisciplinary. I conclude by urging the PLL community to remain connected with other areas of applied linguistics so that it may continue to contribute to a knowledge-building community.

Methodological Diversity in Emotions Research: Reflexivity and Identities

In this first issue of The Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, this paper discusses some of methodological issues surrounding research methodology on emotions in the field of applied linguistics and language learning research. The aim of this paper is to develop a basic understanding and awareness of the challenges and issues involved in conducting research on emotions by bringing the notion of researcher’s reflexivity to the forefront. Studies on researcher’s reflexivity in any empirical research is nothing new, but how it is actually incorporated and manifested in the research process is a fairly neglected matter. The purpose of this paper is thus to pursue this matter by revisiting one of author’s previous research that explores emotions in conjunction with its related and intertwining factors such as identity, L2 self, positionality and learners’ language learning experiences.

Possible Teaching Selves: The Challenges of Becoming a Bilingual Teacher

Recent research on L2 motivation and language learning psychology has shifted its focus from the learner to the educator and drawn the figure of the language teacher into the limelight for the first time (cf. Kubanyiova, 2012; Mercer & Kostolous, 2018). This paper presents some of the qualitative insights into the L2 motivation of two undergraduate teacher trainees who, thanks to a recent impulse for bilingual education in Spain, have been faced with an expected L2 certification proviso in order to graduate and teach. The qualitative study reported here, part of a larger (N 520) mixed methods study employing the lens of the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) to examine L2 learner profiles in Spain, attempted to identify both ideal and ought L2 selves in the discourse of the two interviewees. To complement the possible self view of these L2 learners, Lave and Wenger’s (1991) concept of ‘legitimate peripheral participation was also employed. The interview data provides insight into the effects of a decision to implement a bilingual education system with little apparent empathy for the time and effort required by undergraduates to comply with the L2 certification requirements. Through this study, we see how these two participants struggle to conflate ideal teaching selves with ought L2 teaching selves.

Book Review: New Directions in Language Learning Psychology by Gkonou, C., Tatzl, D., & Mercer, S. (Eds.)

Book Review: <i>New Directions in Language Learning Psychology</i> by Gkonou, C., Tatzl, D., &amp; Mercer, S. (Eds.)