Positive psychology (PP) is currently employing its modern research toolkit to examine how individual differences of hedonic (i.e. pursuing pleasure, fun, and painlessness) versus eudaimonic (i.e. pursuing meaning, self-worth, and growth) well-being motives play out against emotional and learning challenges or outcomes in life. Similarly oriented,…

This study takes a mixed-methods approach to explore the influence of emotion-laden (positive vs. negative vs. neutral) texts and words on vocabulary learning for Spanish heritage and foreign language learners. Participants (N = 121) were tasked with learning emotion-laden pseudowords embedded in three emotion-laden texts centered around themes of…

The emergence of Positive Psychology in second language acquisition has placed greater emphasis on the vital role of engagement in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Although previous research has established that EFL learners' engagement is affected by ideal L2 self, boredom, and grit respectively, sporadic studies have attempted to…

Anxiety is widely recognized as a significant affective factor that influences second language (L2) writing proficiency. However, its specific contributions to writing motivation and engagement, and how it interrelates with these constructs, are not clearly defined. To address this research void, this study explored the role of anxiety in the…

Considering the undeniable importance of examining the role of domain- and skill-specific individual difference factors in second-language (L2) writing research, this study examined the possible roles of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' ideal L2 writing self and growth L2 writing mindset in their L2 writing grit, which may in turn…

Developing advanced proficiency in a second language benefits both learners and the societies to which they belong. Educators, employers, and learners can define advanced level proficiency in a language as being able to use language for academic and professional purposes beyond daily life. But being able to use the language at work is not the only…

This is the first edited volume to bring together research on the interaction between language teacher identity and wellbeing. It addresses the need for further research on the experience of language teachers and the vulnerability and resilience they demonstrate in the face of threats to their wellbeing. Naming, describing and analyzing issues…

The rapid development of social reform and the economy has brought great challenges to the mental health of college students. However, there are few studies on the impact of these psychological problems on college students' English learning. As a special group about to enter society, studying the mental health of college students in foreign…

Mainland Chinese students' (MCSs') cross-cultural adaptation experiences in Hong Kong have remained under-researched. Our study investigates this phenomenon with a language and social psychology approach and explores the role of Cantonese ability and communication with locals. We invoked Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) to investigate the…

Developing teachers' imagined identity, which refers to the ideal self as a professional based on virtual relationships between self and others, is essential to help teachers with future teaching practices. Drawing on Activity Theory, this study aimed to explore the role of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) in developing 12 Iranian EFL…

Names serve as a rudimentary bond that connects us to the world. The relationship between language learners' foreign names adoption and their identity construction has been receiving increased attention. With most studies conducted in English-learning contexts, this study contributes to this line of research by adopting a multilingual framework to…

Indigenous communities, linguists, teachers, and language activists have been developing methods to revitalise endangered languages over several decades. Not only are these methods diverse, they are usually implemented in various ways according to local needs and aspirations. Language revitalisation methods focus on proficiency, but there is also…

This paper aims to report on Chinese college students' emotions in English as a foreign language (EFL) speaking classrooms, including the trajectory of their emotions, and their perceived impacts of these emotions on their performances in class. Through conducting a case study among 12 Chinese college students and qualitatively analyzing the…

This study examines the identity negotiation of Muslim female international students in ESL classrooms in the mid-southern United States, where linguistic adaptation and cultural integration pressures intersect. Drawing on intersectionality, postcolonial feminism, and Kim's International Student Identity Model, this research highlights how these…

This poetic narrative aims to explore lived experiences of a language school teacher in a poor remote island in Vietnam. This article gives insights into how teacher identity was shaped through the eyes of a school teacher and how she struggled to rise to the challenge to become a better teacher version of herself. The self-portraits of how her…