Exploring Chinese EFL Learners' Achievement Emotions and Their Antecedents in an Online English Learning Environment

Drawing on the control-value theory, this study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the various achievement emotions Chinese EFL learners experienced in an online English learning environment and their antecedents during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Data were collected from six Chinese EFL students through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals supplemented with their class notes. Thematic analysis was performed using the qualitative data management software NVivo 12 plus. Results showed that the students experienced diverse emotions such as enjoyment, relaxation, anxiety, guilt, boredom and helplessness. Apart from the environmental antecedents of teacher and peer factors and individual antecedents of control-value appraisals, four novel antecedents were identified which had influence on emotions experienced in the online learning context, including environmental antecedents of internet connection and workload outside classroom, as well as the individual antecedents of students' self-regulation of learning behavior and learning environment.

Correction: Ruiz et al. Social Environmental Antecedents of Athletes’ Emotions. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4997

In the original article [...]

Social Environmental Antecedents of Athletes’ Emotions

The coach-created motivational climate influences variations in athletes’ motivation and emotional experiences. The present study aimed to examine social environmental antecedents of athletes’ emotions. Participants (N = 262, 52% female, M age = 22.75 ± 6.92) completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of coach-created motivational climates, goal orientations, motivation regulations, and emotions. The mediation effects of goal orientations (i.e., task/ego) and motivation regulations (i.e., autonomous/controlled) on the relationship between motivational climate (i.e., empowering/disempowering) and emotions (i.e., happiness, excitement, anxiety, dejection, and anger) were examined. Structural equation modeling revealed positive direct effects of perceptions of an empowering motivational climate on happiness. Indirect effects of empowering climate to happiness and excitement via task orientation and autonomous motivation emerged. Perceptions of a disempowering climate positively predicted anxiety, dejection, and anger via ego orientation and controlled motivation. Overall, the findings have implications for coach education as they highlight the importance of creating more empowering environments and avoiding or reducing social comparisons.