Emotions when learning a second language are neither random nor fixed. They change from moment to moment according to recognisable patterns. Rather than too quickly labelling learners as anxious or unmotivated, teachers should respond to the moments when tension or boredom arises, says computational cognitive scientist Peng Wang.
Emotions change during learning
Emotions such as anxiety, enjoyment and boredom are often measured in language education using a one-off questionnaire. Wang’s research shows that this is not enough to reveal how feelings develop during a conversation, lesson or longer period of learning.
‘In my research, I therefore examined emotions as processes that develop over time. The central question was how language-related emotions change from moment to moment and from day to day, whether there are recognisable and predictable patterns, and whether support at the right moment can reduce negative feelings,’ says Wang.
The results show that emotions during language learning are neither fixed nor random. ‘Speaking anxiety consists of short, recurring moments that can arise and disappear within seconds,’ says Wang.
Speaking a second language causes more tension
The research shows that speaking a second language leads to more and longer-lasting tension on average than speaking in one’s native language. At the same time, the underlying interplay between emotions, physiological responses and confidence in one’s own language ability appears to be the same in both languages.
Clear patterns were also visible in everyday language learning. Differences within the same learner were greater than differences between learners. Language learners moved between different combinations of anxiety, enjoyment and boredom.
Wang says: ‘The most common situation was not one of extreme tension, but a calm and somewhat pleasant learning experience.’
Emotions are partly predictable
Wang’s research also shows that a language learner’s subsequent emotional state can be predicted with reasonable accuracy. Recent information about someone’s emotions and learning situation could also be used to predict changes in their perceived language ability.
‘This means that emotions can be seen as temporary, structured components of the learning process rather than unchanging characteristics of learners,’ Wang explains.
For language education, this could lead to a different way of looking at learners. ‘Rather than permanently considering someone anxious or unmotivated, teachers can pay attention to the moment when tension or boredom arises.’
A short breathing exercise can help
Wang gives a concrete example: ‘A short breathing exercise before a speaking task, during a long practice session or just before a test reduced anxiety mainly around the learning moment itself. Repeated practice also helped prevent anxiety and boredom from building up further.’
In the future, voluntary and privacy-friendly learning apps could potentially play a role by offering a short break, breathing exercise or reflection prompt when recent experiences indicate rising tension. ‘Not to monitor learners, but to provide support at the moment when it is most useful,’ Wang emphasises.
Research into language-related emotions
Wang’s research combines theory, laboratory research, repeated daily measurements and an intervention study.
In the first part, 40 Dutch-English participants gave short speeches in both languages. Their heart rate and skin conductance were measured while they were speaking. Afterwards, the participants watched recordings of themselves and rated their anxiety and perceived language ability from second to second.
In a second study, 92 language learners reported their anxiety, enjoyment, boredom, perceived language ability and learning situation several times a day over a period of 21 days. This produced 6,918 individual learning moments.
Time-series analysis and machine learning were then used to examine patterns and predict subsequent emotional states. Finally, a randomised 20-day study investigated whether short breathing exercises around language-learning moments could reduce anxiety and boredom.
The findings point towards an approach in which language education takes into account not only who a learner is, but also what that learner is experiencing at a particular moment.