Enabling and Enacting
Interplay of Agency and Emotions in the Learning Experiences of Successful EFL Learners
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12114258 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hengjie Chen (0000-0002-8883-7491, School of Foreign Languages East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China), Dingfang Shu (0000-0002-0890-4915, The National Research Institute for Foreign Language Teaching Materials Shanghai International Studies University Shanghai China), Shanshan Yang (0000-0003-1613-2449, College of Foreign Languages and Literatures Fudan University Shanghai China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 2101-2112 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Applied Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0802-6106 • E-ISSN: 1473-4192 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ijal.12758 |
| OpenAlex | W4409662243 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 46 |
Amid the increasing research on language learner agency, attention has rarely been paid to the psychological process of agency construction. Specifically, the role that emotions play in this process requires further investigation due to the emotion‐laden nature of foreign language learning. Drawing on Bandura's (1989) social cognitive theory, this study examined the interplay between agency and emotions in the English learning experiences of secondary school EFL learners who achieved high levels of English proficiency. The data were collected from 10 secondary school students in China through written Critical Incident Technique reports and semi‐structured interviews. All the data were analyzed in NVivo using both deductive and inductive approaches. Results showed that learner emotions were both resources for and results of agency. Positive emotions and the process of overcoming negative emotions nurtured the learners’ sense of agency, while a high level of agency generated more positive feelings and mitigated the negative emotions’ impact on learning motivation and engagement. Practical implications for language teachers and parents are discussed
Agency (philosophy · Pedagogy · Social science · Sociology · Educational and Psychological Assessments · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Emotional Intelligence and Performance · Psychology
Learner Agency Priorities and Speaking Performance in GenAI‐Mediated Project‐Based Learning (PBL)
Profiling Korean Adolescents’ Willingness to Communicate in English
A Microecological Analysis of Teacher Leadership and Its Effects on Student Emotions in Lower Secondary-Level English Language Classrooms in Türkiye
Learner and Teacher Agency
Language Teacher Agency
Elephants in the Room
Teachers’ emotional experiences and exhaustion as predictors of emotional labor in the classroom
Motivation and social cognitive theory
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety
The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions
Agency and Emotion in Narrative Accounts of Emergent Conflict in an L2 Classroom
How Foreign Language Enjoyment Acts as a Buoy for Sagging Motivation
Putting the social into learner agency
Learner emotions, autonomy and trait emotional intelligence in ‘in-person’ versus emergency remote English foreign language teaching in Europe
Learner agency and the use of affordances in language-exchange interactions
Unveiling the complexity of L2 learners’ emotions and emotion regulation
Teacher emotions and agency enactment in online teaching
The making of proficient young FL speakers
Theorizing and Analyzing Agency in Second Language Learning. Interdisciplinary Approaches
Emotions as agency
Teachers matter
Theorising language learning experience in Lote motivation with Perma
A latent profile analysis of Chinese high school students’ control and value appraisals
Conceptualisation and measurement of foreign language learning burnout among Chinese EFL students
Human agency in social cognitive theory
The Flowering of Positive Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching and Acquisition Research
Social Cognitive Theory
What the "Good Language Learner" Can Teach Us
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |