A Longitudinal Study of Foreign Language Enjoyment and L2 Grit: A Latent Growth Curve Modeling

Abstract

In line with the dynamic shift in SLA domain and the need for the development of suitable methods to explore the dynamics of emerging concepts in the field such as grit and enjoyment, in the present research, we intended to investigate the growth of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and L2 grit over time. To do this, we used a bivariate latent growth curve model (LGCM) to examine the covariance between 437 EFL learners' initial and growth levels of L2 grit and FLE in four measurement occasions of 2 week intervals. The data were collected via the original foreign language enjoyment scale and the L2 grit scale. The model including the covariance between intercepts and slopes of FLE and L2 grit was tested via Mplus 7. The findings indicated an increasing trend in the association between the growth levels of both variables. That is, the means of both L2 grit and FLE were larger at their growth level than their initial level. Also, analyzing the co-variations in the model showed that the covariances between the intercepts and slopes of FLE and L2 grit were statistically significant. This would point to the existence of a parallel process (co-development) of FLE and L2 grit. This result also implied that an increase in the level of FLE among the participants was strongly correlated with an increase in the level of L2 grit during the whole course. The findings were discussed with reference to previous studies in the literature and the implications were also provided.

On Domain-Specific Conceptualization and Measurement of Grit in L2 Learning

“…In Teimouri et al (2020), we developed and validated an L2 grit scale to be used specifically in the L2 learning domain. The validity and reliability of the scale were further examined in several studies conducted with language learners in Canada, China, Iran, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US (e.g., Elahi Shirvan et al, 2021;Sudina & Plonsky, 2021a, 2021bSudina, Brown, et al, 2021;Teimouri et al, 2020;Wei et al, 2020). Factorial and reliability analyses have substantiated the two-component structure of the L2 grit scale as well as its internal consistency.…”

“…As such, the study of grit-the combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals 1 -and its effects on learner achievement and motivation appears immediately relevant in SLA (Sudina & Plonsky, 2021a;Teimouri et al, 2020). Indeed, the results of a growing body of empirical studies carried out in various L2 contexts have substantiated the power of L2 grit in predicting L2 success (e.g., Alamer, 2021;Chen et al, 2021;Elahi Shirvan et al, 2021;Sudina, Brown, et al, 2021;Sudina & Plonsky, 2021a, 2021bTeimouri et al, 2020;Teimouri et al, under review;Wei et al, 2020).…”

Exploring the Dynamic Interplay Between Foreign Language Enjoyment and Learner Engagement With Regard to EFL Achievement and Absenteeism: A Sequential Mixed Methods Study

“…Foreign language enjoyment (FLE), as one of the key positive emotions predicting the performance and well-being of FL learners and a critical factor contributing to the creation of a positive classroom atmosphere, is in alignment with the first and third pillar of PP and has drawn considerable scholarly attention in the past 5 years. A large body of existing literature on FLE has focused on investigating the nature, predictors as well as dynamic features of this positive emotion over a period of time, yet a few recent studies have expanded their research attention to exploring the correlation between FLE and desirable academic outcomes or positive personality traits (e.g., Dincer et al, 2019;Li et al, 2020b;Elahi Shirvan et al, 2021b;Wang et al, 2021). It is worth mentioning that Mercer and Dörnyei (2020) have noticed the association between FLE and LE and pointed out explicitly that FLE has an effect on sustaining learner engagement (LE) despite the fact that the connection between the two constructs has been touched upon implicitly in a couple of previous studies.…”

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

“…In addition, teachers' personality traits such as openness, extroversion, and agreeableness were also discovered to be significantly, positively associated with learners' FLE while their conscientiousness and neuroticism did not have significantly similar effects (Ahmadi-Azad et al, 2020). Moreover, learners' personal goals (Mierzwa, 2019;Elahi Shirvan and Talebzadeh, 2020;Guo, 2021), trait emotional intelligence (Li, 2019), grit (Wei et al, 2019;Elahi Shirvan et al, 2021a;), and L2 proficiency (Piechurska-Kuciel, 2017;Li et al, 2020a,b;Guo, 2021), were all found to be significantly correlated with FLE. Additionally, a few researchers also pointed out that some of learners' intellectual humility domains were also negatively associated with FLE (Moskowitz and Dewaele, 2020).…”

“…Major findings from existing literature fall into three thematic occupations. First of all, studies on the mechanisms of FLE suggested that it was a dynamic system undergoing fluctuations either on a moment-to-moment time scale or over a much longer period of time, for instance, a semester, owing to both inter-individual and intra-individual variables (Dewaele and MacIntyre, 2016 ; Dewaele et al, 2016 ; Dewaele and Dewaele, 2017 ; Elahi Shirvan and Talebzadeh, 2017 ; Boudreau et al, 2018 ; Elahi Shirvan and Taherian, 2018 ; Elahi Shirvan et al, 2020 , 2021a , b ). At the micro level, a few researchers found that both subdomains of private-FLE and social-FLE increased longitudinally (Taherian et al, 2021 ).…”