20–22 Nov 2026
The WINC Aichi
Asia/Tokyo timezone

Exploring Academic Emotions in the University English Language Classroom

21 Nov 2026, 14:30
30m
The WINC Aichi

The WINC Aichi

Research-oriented Presentation (30-minutes) CUE: College and University Educators Room 1202

Speaker

Nicholas Marx (Kanazawa Seiryo University)

Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions

And as such, few studies have focused on the socio-academic factors related to these emotions. Thus, this study focuses on data collected during an extensive qualitative study exploring learners’ emotions during group interactions in a compulsory Japanese university English course.
RQ1: How do learners express their classroom emotions?
RQ2: In what ways, if any, are these emotions connected to the academic contexts rather than general language context?

Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results

This presentation will evaluate previous measurements of language classroom emotions and show the shortcomings of their conceptualization in academic contexts before examining the findings of the study. The findings shed light on the causes of emotions specifically related to academic contexts, such as selected tasks, factors related to the course teacher, group interactions, and academic achievement, such as those related to grades and evaluations.

Abstract section 3: Content/method

First-year Japanese university students taking two different compulsory English classes were interviewed following a weekly English course to better understand their emotions related to classroom factors such as group work and classroom interactions as well as their experiences with the classroom teachers. Qualitative data was critically explored to examine the causes of emotions specifically related to the academic context of the university language classrooms.

Abstract section 1: Relevance

Emotions play a significant role in the language classroom. In fact, language classrooms are inherently social spaces (King & Morris, 2021) and modern conceptualizations of emotions are heavily influenced by social factors. And though aspects of academic emotions have been explored previously, such as with Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Anxiety (Horwitz et al., 1986), as well as other anxieties, Foreign Language Enjoyment (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and Foreign Language Learning Boredom (Li et al., 2020), among others. These conceptualizations and connected measurements often involved specific isolated factors of both academic and non-academic factors, rather than specifically identifying academic-specific emotions.

Abstract section 5: References

Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x

King, J., & Morris, S. (2021). Social interaction. In T. Gregersen & S. Mercer, The Routledge Handbook of the Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching (pp. 313–324). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429321498-28

Li, C., Dewaele, J. & Hu, Y. (2023). Foreign language learning boredom: Conceptualization and measurement. Applied Linguistics Review, 14(2), 223-249. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0124

Title Exploring Academic Emotions in the University English Langua
Teaching Context College and university education

Author

Nicholas Marx (Kanazawa Seiryo University)

Presentation materials

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