Toward the Role of Teacher Caring and Teacher-Student Rapport in Predicting English as a Foreign Language Learners' Willingness to Communicate in Second Language

Towards the implications of positive teacher interpersonal behaviors for Spanish learners' academic engagement: Voices from Chinese SFL learners

With the advent of positive psychology in the area of language education, more focus has been placed on the consequences of favorable teacher communication behaviors in language classes. Nonetheless, the function of language instructors' interpersonal behaviors in raising learners' engagement is somehow unknown. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no research study has been carried out in Spanish language classes to explore the function of teacher communication behaviors in learners' engagement. To fill this lacuna, the current inquiry looked into the role of teachers' positive interpersonal factors in Chinese SFL learners' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. For this purpose, a random sample of 32 SFL learners was chosen to participate in our online interview sessions. The answers of SFL learners to the interview questions were thematically analyzed via MAXQDA software. The thematic analysis findings pointed to the value of teacher communication behaviors in improving SFL learners' engagement. The analysis outcomes also demonstrated the potential of 11 positive interpersonal behaviors (rapport, care, clarity, credibility, confirmation, immediacy, closeness, praise, feedback, respect, and stroke) in increasing Spanish language learners' academic engagement. The practical implications that may emerge from the present study's outcomes are finally discussed.

Chinese EFL learners' empowerment: does teacher care and confirmation matter?

Introduction

Inspired by the rhetorical/relational goal theory, the current inquiry evaluated the role of two teacher relational behaviors, namely care and confirmation, in predicting Chinese EFL learners' empowerment.

Methods

To do this, we administered three closed-ended scales to 391 Chinese students who studying English as a foreign language in various educational institutions in China. Students' attitudes toward the interplay between teacher care, teacher confirmation, and learner empowerment were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Amos software.

Results

The results uncovered that teacher confirmation and teacher care serve an essential role in improving Chinese EFL learners' empowerment. This indicates that EFL learners' empowerment strictly depends on the relational behaviors that teachers employ in instructional-learning contexts.

Discussion

The study outcomes may have some theoretical and practical implications for L2 researchers, language teachers, and teacher trainers.

Perceived teacher-student relationship and growth mindset as predictors of student engagement in foreign student engagement in foreign language learning: the mediating role of foreign language enjoyment

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between perceived teacher-student relationship, growth mindset, student engagement, and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) among Chinese English learners.

Methods

A total of 413 Chinese EFL learners participated in the study and completed self-report measures for perceived teacher-student relationship, growth mindset, student engagement in foreign language learning, and FLE. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the validity of the scales. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model.

Results

The partial mediation model demonstrated the best fit to the data. The results indicated that perceived teacher-student relationship had a direct impact on student engagement. FLE directly influenced student engagement, while growth mindset indirectly affected student engagement through the mediation of FLE.

Discussion

The findings suggest that fostering positive teacher-student relationships and promoting a growth mindset can enhance FLE, leading to increased levels of student engagement. These results emphasize the importance of considering both the interpersonal dynamics between teachers and students and the role of mindset in foreign language learning.

Toward the favorable consequences of academic motivation and L2 enjoyment for students' willingness to communicate in the second language (L2WTC)

Students' willingness to communicate in the second language (L2WTC) is perceived to be the ultimate goal of L2 acquisition in that high levels of L2WTC facilitate L2 use. For this reason, factors leading learners to higher levels of L2WTC have been widely scrutinized. Yet, the role of psycho-emotional factors like academic motivation and L2 enjoyment in promoting students' L2WTC has remained elusive. Moreover, as existing literature reveals, no inquiry has conceptually reviewed the impacts of these factors on students' L2WTC. To respond to this gap, this conceptual review strived to elucidate the consequences of academic motivation and L2 enjoyment for students' L2WTC. The favorable effects of academic motivation and L2 enjoyment on students' L2WTC levels were shown in the light of empirical and theoretical evidence. Finally, the potential implications of the findings are highlighted.