This paper aimed at examining the related studies on the relationship between teacher empathy and learner engagement in English as a Foreign Language learning contexts. The positive and significant relationship between teacher empathy and learner engagement has been verified in the literature. Studies have shown the positive influence of teacher-learner rapport on learner engagement. Moreover, studies indicated that teacher empathy leads to learner self-confidence in educational contexts. The literature review has also shown that teachers’ provision of a positive environment through (...) empathy, sympathy, and kindness can trigger learner motivation and engagement. Moreover, teachers’ empathy can reduce the stress level which, in turn, positively affects learners’ engagement level. Eventually, the pedagogical implications to engage learners and teachers in academic contexts have been provided. However, some suggestions have been offered to expand the insights over the associations between positive psychological constructs and teachers’ emotions. (shrink)

This study aims to investigate the role of Chinese English as a foreign language teachers’ aggression and burnout in their professional success. To accomplish this, 362 EFL teachers were invited to respond to three valid measures of the variables. Performing Spearman’s rho correlation tests, negative and significant correlations were found between teacher burnout, teacher aggression, and teacher professional success. Moreover, as the results of regression analyses indicated, both teacher aggression and teacher burnout were found to be the negative predictors of (...) EFL teachers’ professional success. It implies that the higher the amount of teacher aggression and teacher burnout, the less professionally successful a teacher would be. The implications of the results are finally discussed. (shrink)

Learners’ willingness to communicate in a foreign language is regarded as a critical issue in educational contexts, so the role of emotional factors in learners’ willingness to communicate has drawn the attention of investigators. This review investigated the studies on the relationship between English as a Foreign Language learners’ grit, foreign language anxiety, and willingness to communicate. This review showed a significant relationship between learners’ grit and willingness to communicate. The earlier studies showed that gritty learners with incessant inspiring efforts (...) are more likely to communicate in a foreign language. This review also indicated that lower anxious learners tend to have more willingness to communicate. Earlier studies also indicated that the theories, such as broaden-and-build, positive psychology, dynamic system, affective filter, and attentional control can justify the relationships between these constructs. Moreover, the study has some pedagogical implications and suggestions for teachers, learners, syllabus designers, material developers, teacher educators, policy-makers, and advisors. The ideas can improve their awareness of teachers’ willingness to communicate, grit, and foreign language anxiety in educational environments. (shrink)

This review explored the investigations on the role of teacher immediacy in English as a Foreign Language learners’ foreign language enjoyment. Earlier investigations have proved that teacher immediacy, such as posture, body language, vocal variety, gestures, and smile, can significantly affect learners’ positive emotions like foreign language enjoyment. It means that teachers should try both to control the feelings of their learners and manage their feelings to enhance enjoyment among learners. Moreover, studies have shown that teacher immediacy is significantly related (...) to learner motivation which is a basis for increasing foreign language enjoyment among learners. However, specific strategies can be employed to increase learner motivation, which in return increases learner foreign language enjoyment. Furthermore, the study presented the implications and future directions of this line of research for different people, such as EFL teachers, teacher educators, and foreign language scholars. The ideas can improve their awareness of teacher-student relationships, in particular, teacher immediacy and its role in learners’ foreign language enjoyment. (shrink)

Qualitative research is marked by context sensitivity with an inclusion of the participants’ points of view and setting, how they can affect how participants feel and how this feeling is captured and interpreted by researchers. This is the value of exploring affective variables through qualitative research. The present study focuses on the qualitative studies of L2 affective variables in recent years led by the complexity dynamic systems theory. This new line of research has employed innovative research methods compatible with the (...) CDST, and has had useful findings. Yet, they seem to lack rigor and systematicity of research. Thus, this observed lack of consistency is problematized in the present study and attempts are made to set evaluative criteria for the judgment of the burgeoning studies and guiding the future line of qualitative and dynamic inquiry in the L2 affective domain. To this aim, the different sets of evaluative criteria proposed for qualitative research are derived from the mostly cited scholars in the research methodology. The relevance of each to the dynamic qualitative investigations of L2 affective variables is discussed. Then these evaluative criteria are abstracted and put forth for the qualitative research in the dynamic phase of second language acquisition research. The overall goal is to guide future researchers with an interest in investigating the dynamic and developmental nature of L2 affective variables qualitatively. These evaluative criteria can pave the way for the emergence of more rigorous and systematic qualitative studies of L2 affective factors in the future. (shrink)