Fostering flow experience in foreign language learning
Examining synergetic effects of expectancy-value beliefs and emotions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19480855 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wei Sun (0000-0002-9812-6212, Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Hong Shi (0000-0002-3491-6127, China University of Petroleum, Beijing), Shi Hong (0000-0002-6641-6493, China University of Petroleum, Beijing) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1563-1599 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Applied Linguistics Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1868-6303 • E-ISSN: 1868-6311 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/applirev-2024-0194 |
| OpenAlex | W7136078597 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 69 |
Flow, an essential yet relatively understudied state in foreign language (FL) learning, has been shown to be influenced by learner motivation and emotions. However, the exact links between expectancy-value beliefs, emotions, and flow remain unclear. In this study, both person- and variable-centered approaches are combined to explore the complex relationships among expectancy-value beliefs (i.e., expectancy for success, intrinsic value, utility value, attainment value, and effort cost), FL emotions (i.e., anxiety, boredom, enjoyment, and peace of mind), and the experience of flow among 1,016 FL learners in Chinese universities. Results reveal that attainment value only predicts anxiety, while utility value exclusively predicts enjoyment, and effort cost predicts no FL emotion. Additionally, all FL emotions except anxiety predict flow. Notably, expectancy-value beliefs do not directly influence flow; instead, FL emotions, excluding anxiety, fully mediate the effects of expectancy for success and intrinsic value on flow. Enjoyment fully mediates the relationships between utility value and flow. Moreover, four distinct latent profiles are identified: high-cost, maladaptive, average-all, and adaptive. Students in adaptive and average-all profiles display higher positive emotions and flow, with lower boredom levels than other profiles. Conversely, high-cost profile students are most anxious. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are provided
Antecedent (behavioral psychology) · Anxiety · Boredom · Expectancy theory · Foreign language · Foreign language anxiety · Value (mathematics) · Educational Games and Gamification · Flow Experience in Various Fields · Mind wandering and attention
Cultural Foundations of Learning
International Handbook of Emotions in Education
Emotions that facilitate language learning
The Value of Positive Emotions
Bayesian structural equation modeling
Academic Emotions and Student Engagement
Control-value appraisals, achievement emotions, and foreign language performance
Achievement Emotions
Boredom and academic achievement
Mind or Virtue
A Study of Flow Theory in the Foreign Language Classroom
The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions
Finding latent groups in observed data
An Introduction to Latent Class Growth Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Statistical notes for clinical researchers
Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions
Expectancy–Value Theory of Achievement Motivation
Validating the Short-form Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale
Anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom in language learning amongst junior secondary students in rural China
Disentangling the causal role of motivation, enjoyment, and anxiety in second language speech learning
The correlates of flow in the L2 classroom
A Control–Value Theory Approach to Boredom in English Classes Among University Students in China
More useful or not so bad? Examining the effects of utility value and cost reduction interventions in college physics
Motivation profiles of Chinese rural foreign language learners
Foreign language peace of mind
The mechanism for the positive effect of foreign language peace of mind in the Chinese EFL context
Foreign language learning boredom
“You can’t start a fire without a spark”. Enjoyment, anxiety, and the emergence of flow in foreign language classrooms
Structural Model Evaluation and Modification
Advancing our understanding of psychological flow
A latent profile analysis of EFL learners’ self-efficacy
Exploring “Flow” in young Chinese EFL learners’ online English learning activities
Profiles of motivation and engagement in foreign language learning
Flow experience and self-efficacy in undergraduates’ English learning
Achievement goals and emotions of Chinese EFL students
Understanding Chinese high school students’ Foreign Language Enjoyment
What we know about expectancy-value theory, and how it helps to design a sustained motivating learning environment
A latent profile analysis of Chinese high school students’ control and value appraisals
Achievement emotions and control-value appraisals in foreign language learning
Exploring the relationships among emotions, willingness to communicate and flow experience in Chinese EFL learners
A tartan weave
Measuring Flow in the EFL Classroom
Using Expectancy Value Theory to understand motivation, persistence, and achievement in university‐level foreign language learning
Control-Value Appraisals, Enjoyment, and Boredom in Mathematics
Chinese EFL learners’ basic psychological needs satisfaction and foreign language emotions
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |