Studies focusing on affective factors/emotions in learning are a mainstay in second language (L2) research. L2 teacher-focused research has also made advances in this domain and established the importance of affective factors for both learners and teachers. Despite the field’s understanding of the emotional complexity of L2 teaching, much remains undiscovered. The aim of this qualitative research was to investigate L2 teachers’ (N = 21) emotional experiences in the classroom. Specifically, by using a teacher diary we set out to document: (1) the emotions teachers reported in their place of work and during their interactions with learners, (2) the classroom activities teachers were engaged in when they experienced specific emotions, and (3) the regulatory practices they engaged in when dealing with both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Our findings show that L2 teachers most frequently experienced pleasant emotions such as satisfaction, joy, and pride. In regard to unpleasant emotions, they primarily revealed frustration, irritability, and disappointment. Both types of emotions were mostly instigated by their learners and were related to L2 classroom activities in the areas of grammar, speaking, and reading. The teachers admitted to regulating both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Finally, teachers revealed that they used down-regulation, reappraisal, deep breathing, and suppression as the most frequent emotion regulation strategies.

Globalization has led to the spread of English, which has become the world’s international language. As a result of its importance in social, economic, and political spheres, many countries have introduced English language learning in their school curricula. However, despite its importance many learners still seem to struggle with English second language (L2) motivation, which is an important element of L2 learning success. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between several phases of learners’ motivation, including learners’ attributions of past English L2 learning success, current motivational characteristics, and motivation to learn English in the future. Using the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) as a framework, it was found that past learning experiences did not have a significant effect on current learner motivational dispositions. However, elements of the L2MSS had an effect on learners’ intentions to exert effort into future English language learning. In other words, Croatian university students’ L2 motivation was based on their visions for the future rather than on past learning experiences. Moreover, it appears that the ideal L2 self plays a much stronger role in learners’ motivation compared to the ought-to L2 self, and this motivation is tied to utilitarian motives for learning English. In addition, the results showed that other motivational components, such as interest, as well as L2 anxiety, are important elements of learners’ motivation, suggesting cognitive as well as affective aspects in this motivational profile. The complexity of motivation as shown in this study suggests the need for further investigations in various contexts.

Studies have shown that second language (L2) motivation can have an impact on L2 learning processes. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in L2 motivation among Croatian university students from the perspective of the L2MSS. The results indicated that females were more motivated than males to learn English, had higher levels of interest in English, while differences in L2 anxiety were somewhat ambiguous. Females also demonstrated that their L2 motivation was linked to motives related to the avoidance of negative outcomes suggesting that females are perhaps more conscientious learners compared to males. These findings point to a complex motivational state among females, which may indicate important gender-based differences in language learning.

Nastavnici postavljanjem pitanja doprinose procesu učenja stranog jezika i razvoju mišljenja višeg reda kod učenika. Pitanja su značajna za pokretanje interakcije u učionicama stranih jezika. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je dobiti uvid u vrste pitanja koje nastavnici koriste u poučavanju engleskog kao stranog jezika (engl. EFL). Metoda prikupljanja podataka uključivala je promatranje nastave koje se često koristi u istraživanjima u učionicama stranih jezika. Rezultati su pokazali da se u osnovnim i srednjim školama češće postavljaju pitanja nižeg reda od pitanja višeg reda, dok su složenija pitanja i setovi pitanja i odgovora pokazali veću učestalost pitanja višeg reda. Nadalje, složenost odgovora učenika ovisila je o vrsti pitanja koju je nastavnik postavio. Analiza je također pokazala da, usprkos tome što je bilo više pitanja koja su poticala na razmišljanje i samoizražavanje u srednjoj školi nego u osnovnoj školi, veliki broj prikupljenih pitanja nižeg reda ipak pokazuje potrebu za većom upotrebom pitanja višeg reda.

The main focus of this study was to analyse article errors in the writing of first year Croatian psychology students studying English as a foreign language as part of their study programme. Article errors among learners with different proficiency levels were also analysed; moreover, errors made by students with different essay grades were compared. The results show that the category with the highest number of errors included the omission of the indefinite article. Furthermore, it was found that proficiency levels were not a significant factor concerning the average number of errors in any of the categories. Moreover, it was also shown that essay grades did not play a significant role in the number of article errors in student writing except in the category of omission of the definite article, which was found among students with lower essay grades.