A longitudinal study of foreign language enjoyment and boredom: A latent growth curve modeling

Abstract

The present research aimed to explore the dynamic growth of two emotional constructs: foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language learning boredom (FLLB) among L2 learners. To do so, we used a method that would capture the inherent dynamicity of L2 learners’ enjoyment and boredom during an EFL course. To this aim, a bivariate latent growth curve model (LGCM) was employed to examine the covariance between 412 EFL learners’ initial and growth levels of FLE and FLLB on four measurement occasions at two-week intervals. To collect the data, the original FLE scale and the newly developed FLLB scale were used. The model including the covariance between intercepts and slopes of FLE and FLLB was tested in Mplus 7. The analysis of the data revealed that the covariance between the intercept and slope of the FLE and FLLB was statistically significant and negative. This attests to the existence of a parallel process (co-variance) of FLE and FLLB, which indicates that an increase in the level of FLE among the participating L2 learners was strongly associated with a decrease in the level of FLLB during the whole course. The findings and implications are discussed in light of the existing literature.

Examining the relationship between perceived teacher support and students’ academic engagement in foreign language learning: Enjoyment and boredom as mediators

“…Although boredom is a frequently experienced emotion in educational settings, because of its silent and elusive characteristic, it has been undervalued for years in the language learning context ( Kruk, 2016 ). Then, influenced by the affective turn ( Pavlenko, 2013 ), researchers began to explore the sources and solutions of students’ boredom in the EFL context (e.g., Zawodniak et al, 2021 ; Kruk et al, 2022a ). Qualitative studies conducted in diversified English language classes have identified various sources of students’ boredom, and they can be generally divided into three types, i.e., teacher-induced, student-induced, and content-induced boredom ( Derakhshan et al, 2021 ; Zawodniak et al, 2021 ; Kruk et al, 2022a ).…”

In search of well-established evaluative criteria for the emerging qualitative methods of L2 affective variables

“…Like most of qualitative studies in the L2 affective domain, there is also no mentioning of reflexivity and external audits in this study but member checking as a reflection to the current data for the achievement of strong evidence has been conducted. On the other hand, the procedures of the use of Q methodology by Kruk et al (2022) are quite in line with Malterud's emphasis on the contextual consideration of a given study. To do this, the association of the collected findings with the main underpinning theories of boredom has been meticulously carried out.…”

“…Such explanations might render them away from the simplifications expected by some of the basic evaluative criteria. Thus, the explanations provided by Kruk et al (2022) in the data for the steps of data collection and data analysis might not be simple to understand at the first glance but these explanations are necessary for the sake of readers' full comprehension of how the method functions in case they should need to replicate the same procedures in another study. Moreover, the integration of data collection and data analysis is in alignment with the nonlinearity principle of CDST framework see Hiver and Al-Hoorie (2019) as a linear path from data collection to data analysis might not be necessarily expected.…”

“…Thus, inspired by the CDST, some emerging research methods have been recently used in the L2 affective domain which are consistent with the CDST framework. Some of these emerging methods in the L2 affective domain are retrodictive qualitative modeling, the idiodynamic method, self-organizing maps, Q-methodology (Kruk et al, 2022), process-tracing (Yazdanmehr et al, 2021), ecological momentary assessment, and experience sampling method. What derived the application of these methods in the L2 affective domain is rooted in the problem-driven approach of CDST to inquiry which appreciates the expansion of the methodological repertoires in a given academic domain.…”

Enjoymeter for Exploring Micro-Scale Changes in Foreign Language Enjoyment

“…This theory posits that an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire can be broadened by positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001 ). Since then, several studies have explored positive emotions in acquiring L2 with a focus on foreign language enjoyment (e.g., Dewaele and Dewaele, 2017 ; Kruk et al, 2022 ; Li and Wei, 2022 ). The simplest way to define FLE is by comparing and contrasting it against pleasure (Dewaele and MacIntyre, 2014 ).…”