Language teachers’ interpersonal learner-directed emotion-regulation strategies

Abstract

The regulation of language learners’ emotions by affective, or emotion-regulation strategies has received limited research attention. This gap is being filled among others by researchers who have developed and are applying a new research tool called Managing Your Emotions for Language Learning (MYE). It is based on the vignette methodology to investigate both positive and negative language learner emotions, emotion-regulation strategies that language learners employ, and language teachers’ interpersonal learner-directed emotion-regulation strategies used in a range of familiar language learning situations. In this study teachers’ interpersonal emotion-regulation strategies and their learner- and teacher-perceived effectiveness were investigated by means of MYE ( n = 64: English-major learners) and semi-structured interviews with learners ( n = 16) and teachers ( n = 9). The results revealed a rich context- and participant-dependent list of language teachers’ interpersonal emotion-regulation strategies, the frequency of which was perceived differently by language learners and teachers, who, however, agreed on their good effectiveness. The strategies belonging to the categories of ‘cognitive change’, ‘situation modification’ and ‘competence enhancement’ were used the most often, but some gaps in teachers’ strategic repertoires were also identified. Pedagogy-wise, MYE seemed to be suitable for closing the gap between learners’ and teachers’ perspectives on teachers’ learner-directed emotion-regulation strategy use. Teachers and their pedagogical practice would benefit from training in the area of emotion-regulation strategies and support of educational authorities.

Researching and Practicing Positive Psychology in Second/Foreign Language Learning and Teaching: The Past, Current Status and Future Directions

“…Regulating emotions enable teachers to skillfully face conflict situations and find practical solutions for them (Ghanizadeh and Moafian, 2010 ). Despite its importance for educational outcomes and quality, research evidence on emotion regulation in language education is scanty (Bielak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2020 ). It is also conceived that Dewaele and Dewaele ( 2020 ) while emotions are the lynchpins to language education, they have been mainly ignored in SLA research.…”

A Conceptual Review of Positive Teacher Interpersonal Communication Behaviors in the Instructional Context

“…Four decades of research in SLA has mainly focused on teacher and students' negative emotions and outcomes by studying factors like anxiety, disengagement, burnout, depression, resistance, and stress (e.g., Gkonou et al, 2017;Seifalian and Derakhshan, 2018;Fathi and Derakhshan, 2019). However, with their recent advent of positive psychology and the call for its application in SLA by leading scholars (e.g., Mercer and MacIntyre, 2014;Mercer et al, 2018;MacIntyre et al, 2019;Budzińska and Majchrzak, 2021), SLA researchers have shifted their attention to the more bright side of the issue by initiating the study of positive language teachers and students' emotions, behaviors, and outcomes (Dewaele et al, 2019;Bielak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2020;Fathi et al, 2020;Greenier et al, 2021). Benesch (2017) maintained that L2 classes are filled with both negative and positive emotions; the former impeding successful teaching and learning and the latter fostering them.…”

Reflection on EFL/ESL Teachers' Emotional Creativity and Students L2 Engagement

“…They can use different techniques to encourage students to use their imagination and reduce negative emotions. Teachers can encourage students to substitute soothing responses when faced with such situations to reduce the intensity of emotional responses (Bielak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2020 ). For instance, when those freshers just enter the universities, they may suffer various anxiety in learning in the institutes of higher learning.…”