Enjoyment and anxiety in second language communication: An idiodynamic approach

Emotions are a fleeting experience, sometimes lasting only moments before dissipating. Prior research in SLA has either ignored emotions, underestimated their relevance, or has studied them as a relatively stable individual difference variable. In contrast, the present study takes an idiodynamic app...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudies in second language learning and teaching Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 149 - 170
Main Authors Boudreau, Carmen, MacIntyre, Peter D., Dewaele, Jean-Marc
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kalisz Adam Mickiewicz University 01.03.2018
Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts
Adam Mickiewicz University Department of English Studies
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Subjects
Anxiety
College Students
Communication
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Computer Software
Correlation
dynamics
Emotional Response
Emotions
Foreign Countries
French
French as a second language
Graphs
idiodynamic
Individual differences
Interviews
Language
Oral Language
Psychological Patterns
Role
second language communication
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Second Languages
Task Analysis
Video Technology
Canada
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Summary:Emotions are a fleeting experience, sometimes lasting only moments before dissipating. Prior research in SLA has either ignored emotions, underestimated their relevance, or has studied them as a relatively stable individual difference variable. In contrast, the present study takes an idiodynamic approach to examine the rapidly changing relationship between enjoyment and anxiety in second language communication, on a moment-to-moment timescale. University students who speak French as a second language were recruited to complete oral tasks in their second language. Participants then rated their per-second fluctuations in each emotion while watching a video recording of their tasks. Immediately after this, they were interviewed about their attributions for fluctuations in their ratings. We found that the relationship between enjoyment and anxiety is highly dynamic, resulting in varying patterns of correlation ranging from negative to positive. Triangulation of ratings of anxiety and enjoyment with interview data produces a richer understanding of the role of emotions in second language communication.
ISSN:2083-5205
2084-1965
2084-1965
DOI:10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.7