Research on language motivation has tended to focus on the phenomena of demotivation and remotivation in the English classroom. This study utilized Q methodology to analyze the dynamics of demotivation and remotivation among 15 Chinese university students during their English learning process from primary school to senior middle school. Informed…

Recently, there has been a significant increase in research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the domain of second language (L2) education. Given the limited resources, it is essential for GenAI research to focus on key areas. However, there is still uncertainty about which topics should be prioritised. Research priorities are often…

Learner emotions represent sudden, dynamic, and complex adaptations to the language classroom environment. Recent Second Language Acquisition research calls for a more holistic perspective in approaching classroom emotions, one that considers emotional variations between and across learners, and which foregrounds the interconnections among…

In language learner identity research, there is an underrepresentation of LOTE-as-L3 learners in instructed foreign language learning contexts. This study addresses this gap by exploring the multilingual identity profiles of Chinese high school LOTE-as-L3 learners in two school contexts and seeks to understand how the schools may influence…

The effects of positive emotions on learners' achievement and well-being highlight the need to delve into foreign language enjoyment (FLE) in different contexts and from different perspectives. This study uses Q methodology to explore English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' subjective perspectives regarding FLE during a period of online…

Motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) has been underrepresented in second language (L2) motivation research. This study investigated and compared the motivational profiles of first-year and second-year students majoring in Spanish, grounded on the proposition of bifurcating ideal and ought selves into "Own" and…

This study explored epistemic beliefs held by Mainland Chinese learners of English. Studies that investigate language learners' personal epistemologies, which include beliefs about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing, are scarce. For the most part, such studies are quantitative. This paper employed Q methodology, an approach that…

This study uses a Q methodology to track the changing motivational profiles of 15 Chinese university students simultaneously engaged in second-language (L2) English and third-language (L3) Spanish learning over 1.5 years. Guided by complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), the study aims to investigate the initial trigger that propelled the Chinese…

This study extends our understanding of Chinese university students' motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) by adding a contextual dimension to the L2 Motivational Self System. The study drew on Higgins' ([1987]. "Self-discrepancy: A Theory Relating Self and Affect." "Psychological Review" 94: 319-340.)…

Qatar University is currently at a crossroads, having to respond to competing institutional, national, and international language policy issues. This paper aims to reveal how Qatar University's internal and external stakeholders perceive the future directions of the university's language in education policy. In particular, through Q-methodology,…

Q methodology, an approach to inquiry on the subjective views about a complex phenomenon/issue which has been increasingly employed in a wide range of social science fields has not yet been applied in language learning and teaching research. It is a unique approach that has characteristics of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The…

This study explored the perceptions of adult English language learners about audience response systems (clickers) as tools to facilitate communication. According to second language acquisition theory, learners' receptive capabilities in the early stages of second language acquisition surpass expressive capabilities, often rendering them silent in…

The direction of university courses is often guided by the results of traditional Likert scale student evaluations. Most of these focus on instructors' characteristics and frequently do not provide useful insights into students' learning preferences or feedback regarding specific activities and projects in the courses. This study, carried out in a…