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

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongliang Wang ◽  
Ali Derakhshan ◽  
Lawrence Jun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
L2 Learning

In addressing the recent special issue in Frontiers in Psychology, namely “Positive Psychology in Foreign and Second Language Education: Approaches and Applications,” calling language education researchers around the globe to study positive emotions, positive personality traits, and positive institutional tendencies and their implications for language education systems, stakeholders, and policy practices, the present conceptual review paper aims to acquaint language education researchers, practitioners, instructors, and learners with the main tenets of positive psychology and their application in second/foreign language (L2) education research. Accordingly, by drawing on the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, we explain how individuals' positivity can result in their flourishment and development in any aspect of life, including L2 learning and teaching. Then, we introduce and conceptualize seven instances of positive psychology variables, namely academic engagement, emotion regulation, enjoyment, grit, loving pedagogy, resilience, and well-being and explain how these positive factors contribute to desirable L2 learning and teaching experiences. Subsequently, potential theoretical and pedagogical implications are drawn to enhance the quality and effectiveness of language education systems and their respective stakeholders. In the end, the limitations of the studies in this area are explicated, and suggestions for future research are provided to expand the extant literature on positive psychology in the domain of L2 education.

scholarly journals Taking a Fresh Look at Foreign Language Enjoyment Research in SLA: Current Status, Future Directions, and Pedagogical Implications

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunxian Guo ◽  
Yexiang Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research

Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), as the most prevalent positive emotion predicting L2 learners' academic performance and well-being, and a critical factor contributing to the creation of positive micro-institutions (e.g., the classrooms), has received remarkable scholarly attention across the globe in the past eight years. Despite the fact that FLE is the most extensively investigated positive emotion and extant research has yielded rich and invaluable findings, it is far from being adequately studied, leaving vast lacunas to be explored. Therefore, this conceptual review article is written to familiarize language education researchers, practitioners, instructors, and learners with the current status of FLE research and its potential applications in L2 education, and suggest potential avenues for future research. To this aim, by making a diachronical and synchronical delineation of extant literature with regard to the conceptualization and theorization of FLE, and the methodology of FLE research, we argue that it is incumbent on researchers to make a new line of enquiry into the actualization of the ascertained affordances of FLE and its transmission in the microsystem of the classroom. Subsequently, by drawing on the broaden-and-build theory and the control-value theory, we highlight the significance of conducting FLE research with theoretical triangulation and methodological diversity to validate the data and minimum bias. Next, while highlighting the critical role of FLE in L2 education, we suggest some pedagogical implications with the hope of enlightening the practice of key stakeholders such as instructors, teacher educators, and teacher recruiters. In the end, the limitations of existing literature are explicated, and avenues for future studies on FLE in L2 education domain are put forward for interested researchers.

scholarly journals Shaping the quality of second language learning: Students’ perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 01071
Author(s):  
Irina M. Solodkova ◽  
Elena V. Grigorieva ◽  
Liliya R. Ismagilova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Learning And Teaching

The paper dwells on the problem of identifying the most crucial factors affecting the quality of foreign language learning from the students’ perspective. Quality foreign language education is a disputable issue in 21 century due to the increased global workforce competition. Human capital has a great impact on education as an important factor in shaping a new quality of country’s economy and well-being of society. Foreign language skill is an integral component of highly qualified professionals as the global economic processes make them participate in cross-border business communication. In these conditions the aim of higher education establishments is to provide quality of language learning and teaching that allows future specialists not to distort the meaning in written and oral communication within their professional framework. The two-phase survey conducted among 67 students of the Institute of Management, Economics and Finance of the Kazan Federal University provided with quantitative data. The respondents ranked differently the factors determining the quality of language learning and teaching responses after two years of completing their foreign language education and were generally satisfied with the quality of service rendered. The obtained results give optimistic forecasts regarding the improvement of foreign language education and help reconsider the way of teaching a foreign language basing on the chosen factors.

scholarly journals Teacher Well-Being in EFL/ESL Classrooms

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Li
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Definition Of

A popular point in the last 20 years in academic and business settings is well-being at work that is in line with positive psychology, through which one can understand how to make working conditions enjoyable. Alternatively, teaching has been recognized as the most stressful career. Although, not many studies in the form of review have been carried out to focus on the notion of the well-being of teachers in English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL). According to the literature review, the definition of this construct, the factors related to it, and the empirical studies in this domain are presented. In conclusion, the implications of well-being for teachers, school principals, teacher-trainers, and future researchers are provided, and new directions for future research are delineated.

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

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 459-463
Author(s):  
Sam Morris ◽  
Sarah Mercer
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Language Teacher ◽  
New Directions ◽  
The University

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.

scholarly journals RETHINKING THE USE OF L1 IN L2 CLASSROOM

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Zulfikar Zulfikar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
L2 Learning

Using mother tongue (L1) in a foreign language (L2) classrooms is inevitable. Despite the debate over the adequacy of using L1 in the teaching of L2, this paper argues using L1 in the classroom does not hinder learning, and that L1 has a facilitating role to play in the classroom and can help L2 learning and acquisition. This paper shows that L1 is an inseparable part of language teaching, and it has several functions for both the students and teachers in English language learning and teaching. Therefore, those who believe L1 has a minimal role to play in the teaching of a foreign language are invited to think again of its role and contributions it makes to the fields of language learning and teaching.

scholarly journals An Investigation into the Benefits of the Intercultural Approach to EFL Learning and Teaching: A Case Study of Taif University, KSA

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir H. Abdalla
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential benefits of using the intercultural approach to teaching English as a foreign language in the preparatory –year programme (male branch), Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The intercultural approach is considered a viable means of foreign language education that seeks to address issues of culture in foreign language learning and teaching and how best to address them. Hence, this study intends to explore the attitudes of first year EFL Taif university students to the potential benefits of the intercultural approach to EFL. A sample of 200 EFL students participated in the study. Participants’ views on the topic of the study are collected via a questionnaire the researcher designed and administered to the participants. In addition, the views of 50 EFL instructors teaching in the preparatory programme were gathered by a questionnaire regarding the topic researched. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data.

scholarly journals C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Oriented Approach

AbstractBy adopting “functional plurilingualism” – a recurring concept in its new curriculum, “Lehrplan 21” – Switzerland is pursuing new avenues in foreign language education. The term refers to a goal-oriented approach to foreign language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools, and implies that barriers to communication can be overcome by exploiting the sum of the individual’s linguistic capacities. In future, language learners will be expected to build on the interrelatedness of languages instead of developing abilities in languages that they keep separate from one another. This view of foreign language education coincides with the recommendations of the Council of Europe’sHaving reached the highest level specified by the CEFR, some learners continue their studies, seeking to maintain or reinforce their competences or to address individual weaknesses. In this article, a group of C2+ learners of German as a foreign language reflect on their desire for linguistic perfection and the notion of “functional plurilingualism” against the background of their own biographies. These learners have a high awareness and knowledge of German (often their third language) and of the learning process, which allows them to make informative statements. The data was analysed qualitatively and subjective theories were reconstructed – an approach that took account both of the multiperspectivity of the topic and of the uniqueness of the individual cases.

Ecological perspectives on foreign language education

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Kramsch
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Ecological Perspective ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Institutional Contexts

Ecological approaches to language learning and teaching have captured the interest of language educators as both native and non-native speakers find themselves operating in increasingly multilingual and multicultural environments. This paper builds on Kramsch & Whiteside (in press) to conceptualize what an ecological perspective on foreign language education, based on complexity theory, would look like. It first explains some of the major tenets of complexity theory, and analyzes transcriptions of exchanges taking place among multilingual individuals in multicultural settings using the ecological approach offered by complexity theory. Based on what these analyses reveal about the ability of these individuals to shape the very context in which language is learned and used, it discusses the notion of ‘symbolic competence’ recently proposed by Kramsch (2006) and explores how symbolic competence might be developed through foreign language education in institutional contexts.

scholarly journals Positive psychology outcome measures for family caregivers of people living with dementia: a systematic review

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1281-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacki Stansfeld ◽  
Charlotte R. Stoner ◽  
Jennifer Wenborn ◽  
Myrra Vernooij-Dassen ◽  
Esme Moniz-Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Future Research ◽  
People With Dementia

ABSTRACTBackground:Family caregivers of people living with dementia can have both positive and negative experiences of caregiving. Despite this, existing outcome measures predominately focus on negative aspects of caregiving such as burden and depression. This review aimed to evaluate the development and psychometric properties of existing positive psychology measures for family caregivers of people living with dementia to determine their potential utility in research and practice.Method:A systematic review of positive psychology outcome measures for family caregivers of people with dementia was conducted. The databases searched were as follows: PsychINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. Scale development papers were subject to a quality assessment to appraise psychometric properties.Results:Twelve positive outcome measures and six validation papers of these scales were identified. The emerging constructs of self-efficacy, spirituality, resilience, rewards, gain, and meaning are in line with positive psychology theory.Conclusions:There are some robust positive measures in existence for family caregivers of people living with dementia. However, lack of reporting of the psychometric properties hindered the quality assessment of some outcome measures identified in this review. Future research should aim to include positive outcome measures in interventional research to facilitate a greater understanding of the positive aspects of caregiving and how these contribute to well-being.

scholarly journals Clowning in health care settings: The point of view of adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dionigi ◽  
Carla Canestrari
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Pilot Studies

Within the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in investigating the effects of clown intervention in a large variety of clinical settings. Many studies have focused on the effects of clown intervention on children. However, few studies have investigated clowning effects on adults. This paper presents an overview of the concept of medical clowning followed by a literature review conducted on the empirical studies drawn from three data bases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar), with the aim of mapping and discussing the evidence of clowning effects on non-children, namely adults. The following areas were investigated: Adult and elderly patients (mainly those with dementia), observers of clowning, namely non-hospitalized adults who are at the hospital as relatives of patients or health-care staff, and finally clowns themselves. The main results are that 1) clown intervention induces positive emotions, thereby enhancing the patient’s well-being, reduces psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and prompts a decrease in negative emotions, such as anxiety and stress; 2) clown doctors are also well-perceived by relatives and healthcare staff and their presence appears to be useful in creating a lighter atmosphere in the health setting; 3) few pilot studies have been conducted on clown doctors and this lacuna represents a subject for future research.

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