This article presents selected results from a large-scale, mixed-methods, federally funded investigation of US-based language study-abroad alumni of all ages, which included a nationwide survey (N = 4,899) followed by professional life history interviews with 54 participants. Here, we focus on three questions heretofore unaddressed: (a) How do…

The present study explored how negative emotional orientations (i.e., anxiety, boredom, and demotivation) may contribute to English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) in in-person and online classes. In doing so, a total of 290 university students majoring in English were recruited to fill in a set of scales.…

In the context of language instruction and learning, willingness to communicate (WTC) is an important factor in learners' language use. It is viewed as a volitional process influenced by individual, social, linguistic, and situationally dependent factors. Foundational research focused on trait and state WTC-influencing factors as separate…

Emotional intelligence (EI) as a recent notion in psychology has rightly found its way into studies related to foreign language learning (FLL). Appreciating its significance, the present study was conducted to test EI in relation to English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' willingness to communicate (WTC). To do so, 67 EFL learners filled out…

The increasing trend of studying abroad, driven by globalization, has led students to seek educational and professional opportunities in foreign countries. However, they face numerous challenges that affect their academic and social integration. This study aims to examine the factors influencing communication among Arab students studying in…

An increasing number of research is focusing on L2 grit, which plays a significant role in SLA. But few studies examine the factors that affect L2 grit. This study investigates the internal predictors influencing L2 grit in Chinese college students, specifically focusing on L2 willingness to communicate (WTC), L2 anxiety and L2 joy. A structural…

The past decade has witnessed a surge of research interest in diverse emotions that foreign/second language (L2) learners experience. However, research on L2 boredom is just starting. The current study focuses on foreign language learning boredom (FLLB) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and examines how they are associated with a wide range of…

This study examined how Papiamento and Dutch attitude and home literacy environment of 168 children in fourth grade of the post-colonial Dutch Caribbean, predicted L1 and L2 reading literacy in sixth grade. Overall, children had higher scores for reading literacy in L1 Papiamento as compared with L2 Dutch. They showed more positive attitudes…

Recently, there has been a rapid growth in the number of studies related to emotions and positive psychology constructs in language teaching and learning. However, there is scant research in the context of low exposure to English. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between Thai EFL secondary school learners' L2 positive and…

This study investigated and compared family language policies (FLPs) from the perspectives of two groups of Singaporean bilingual children: 2,971 English-Chinese and 780 English-Malay children (aged 9-11 years). It also examined how different FLP components -- namely, language beliefs, practices, and management -- influenced their leisure reading…

Although language learners' knowledge of second language (L2) speech acts is postulated to be substantially influenced by learner variables, there is little empirical evidence of the influence of pragmatic motivation (PM) and willingness to communicate (WTC). To address this gap, this study sought to investigate the impact of PM and WTC as two…

Few studies have considered bilingualism's impact on cognitive development within the sociolinguistic and cultural context of the immigrant communities where bilingualism is commonly practiced. In the United States, many Mexican-origin bilingual youth practice their bilingual skills by "brokering" (i.e. translating/interpreting between…

We investigated whether the accuracy of grammatical morphemes in second language (L2) learners' writing is associated with usage-based distributional factors. Specifically, we examined whether the accuracy of L2 English inflectional morphemes is associated with the availability (i.e., token frequency) and contingency (i.e., token frequency…

Verbal morphology has been identified as a particularly vulnerable domain for adult heritage speakers (HSs) of Spanish, especially when it involves the selection of subjunctive mood. A minimal amount is known, however, about the potential effects of the variability associated with these forms on the acquisition of related epiphenomena, such as the…

Feeling like a different person when speaking different languages has been investigated before and attributed to several linguistic as well as psychological factors. Language proficiency, the context of language acquisition, personality traits, emotional intelligence, and the topic of conversation as well as the interlocutor have been found to…