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Sources and effects of foreign language enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom: A structural equation modeling approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2022

Jean-Marc Dewaele Open the ORCID record for Jean-Marc Dewaele [Opens in a new window] ,
Elouise Botes  and
Samuel Greiff
Jean-Marc Dewaele*
Affiliation:
Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
Elouise Botes
Affiliation:
University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Samuel Greiff
Affiliation:
University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: j.dewaele@bbk.ac.uk
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Abstract

The present study is among the first to investigate how three foreign language (FL) emotions, namely FL enjoyment (FLE), anxiety (FLCA), and boredom (FLB), are related to each other. It is the first study to consider how the three FL emotions are shaped by one learner-internal variable (attitude toward the FL), by two perceived teacher behaviors (frequency of use of the FL in class and unpredictability), and how all these variables jointly affect leaners’ FL achievement. Participants were 332 FL learners from all over the world studying a wide variety of FLs who filled out an online questionnaire. A close-fitting structural equation model revealed associations between FLE, FLCA, and FLB. Teacher behaviors positively affected FLE, with no discernible effect on FLB or FLCA. Only FLCA was found to have a (negative) effect on academic achievement. The study confirms the complex relationship between teacher behaviors and positive emotions in the FL classroom.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , May 2023 , pp. 461 - 479
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© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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