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Many scholars have argued that mindfulness meditation (MM) can be beneficial in academic contexts. Recently, researchers in second language acquisition have found that higher trait mindfulness scores indicate lower foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA). The present study investigates if mindfulness scores can be increased, if FLCA decreases as a result of a mindfulness intervention, and what opinions language learners have toward MM as a way of alleviating FLCA. Data were collected in a postsecondary learning environment where experimental group participants (n = 76) and control group participants (n = 66) were compared. As a result, mindfulness scores were negatively correlated with FLCA at beginning of the study. There were, however, mixed findings between groups after a 13‐week series of MMs. Experimental participants gave strongly positive opinions toward the MM in their open‐ended responses to their experience.

The Challenge Postsecondary language programs need to articulate their value to the proper demographic. This study investigates what motivates, and dissuades, students from majoring or minoring in Languages Other than English (LOTEs) in the United States context. This study looks at first-course placement, prior L2 study, and students' personal and professional learning climate.

The construct of psychological flow bridges several areas of second language learning interest, including motivation, investment, self-efficacy, and autonomy. Flow, characterized by intense focus on an enjoyable activity that is at once challenging and accessible, creates conditions that have been linked to learning. Research interest in flow has grown, but the L2 research remains scarce and exploratory. This paper, which uses a two-study format, proposes and tests a new category coding scheme designed to explain which activities generate language-class flow. In Study A, third- and fourth-semester learners of Spanish, French, Italian, and German (N = 82) described their most flow-generating language-class experiences on an online questionnaire. In Study B, first- through fourth-semester students of Spanish (N = 588) did the same. The responses were coded to one category in each of four contrasting category pairs. Parallel analyses were conducted for each study, and within each study counts and chi-square tests were performed separately on each category pair. The results of both studies showed statistically significant contrasts within all four category pairs, and revealed that student-centered, open-ended, authentic, and non-competitive activities were more likely to generate flow than their opposites (i.e., teacher-centered, closed-ended, inauthentic, and competitive activities). Pedagogical implications and directions for future research are discussed based on these results.

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