How do language learners' emotions influence their motivation to learn a language?
The starting point for this study was provided by previous research that focused primarily on the enjoyment and anxiety associated with language learning (De Smet et al, 2018; Gregersen et al., 2014; Piniel & Csizér, 2015; Teimouri et al., 2019). In this study, a theoretical model was tested first. The model tested the hypothesis that enjoyment and anxiety may function as overarching emotions in the sense that they may not only directly influence language learning motivation, but may also provide pathways for other positive and negative emotions to indirectly influence motivation. The exploration of a broader range of emotions is in line with the research objectives that have been formulated in the field of emotion research in recent years (Dewaele & Li, 2020). In addition, the research also investigated whether these processes operate in the same way for male and female learners in secondary school, or whether differences in the relationship between emotions and motivation can be identified between the two genders.
The setting of the study was Hungarian secondary education. In Hungary, secondary school students are required to study two foreign languages and to pass an examination in at least one of them by the time they reach the school-leaving examination. The research focused on English, as it is the most popular foreign language in Hungary, and thus the most popular group of language learners (Öveges & Csizér, 2018). The Hungarian situation is particularly interesting in that the effectiveness of language learning in Hungarian secondary education has often been sharply criticized. The shortcomings of foreign language education are also indicated by the relatively low level of foreign language proficiency in Hungary compared to other countries in the European Union (European Statistics, 2024). The 467 secondary school boys and 682 girls who participated in the study completed a questionnaire about their emotions (hope, pride, curiosity, enjoyment, shame, confusion, boredom, apathy and anxiety) and motivation related to English language learning. To analyze the data, the researchers used structural equation modelling to test the direct and indirect effects of emotions on student motivation. The statistical analysis revealed several direct and indirect effects that influence learners' efforts to learn a language.
The researchers identified several significant relationships between the variables tested. Among others, they found that among the positive emotions, both curiosity and pride increased motivated learning behavior through language learning enjoyment. On the other hand, for negative emotions, confusion and shame increased anxiety, which in turn led to a decrease in motivated learning behavior. At the same time, there were emotions such as hope, boredom and apathy, which in the above model had no direct or indirect effect on language learning motivation, and in their case, it can be assumed that they may have an effect through cognitive variables. Furthermore, the researchers found no differences between boys and girls in the above relationships. As the study involved Hungarian secondary school students, the findings are primarily relevant to the Hungarian situation. Nevertheless, the study has further valuable empirical and pedagogical implications, as it investigated emotions that have been neglected in the context of foreign language education. Another important lesson from the research is that teachers should be made aware of how emotions affect learners' motivation to learn a language and the role they can play in shaping these emotions.