This presentation discusses the results of a dissertation exploring the relationship between the linguistic insecurities, language learning motivation, and emotions of heritage language learners of Spanish, with particular attention to Spanish language learning interest and joy. A comparison between heritage and foreign language learners’ classroom emotions will also be presented.
While emotion has recently become of greater interest to scholars within second language acquisition (SLA), studies have traditionally focused on negative emotions and neglected the effects of positive emotions in language learning. The recent positive psychology turn in SLA (MacIntyre, Gregersen, & Mercer, 2016) has encouraged scholars to explore the benefits of positive emotions, such as enjoyment (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), in combating against negative emotions, such as anxiety, and their detrimental effects in the language classroom. Taking into account the need for research on positive emotions, the current paper, part of a larger dissertation study, sets forth to explore both language learning joy and interest, two subcomponents of enjoyment, in heritage (HL) and foreign language (FL) learner populations of Spanish. Through a mixed-methods approach, the study compares the positive emotions of these two learner profiles and, additionally, aims to determine the relationship between positive emotion, language learning motivation, and the linguistic insecurity felt by members of each group. Batteries include an adaptations of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and the L2MSS (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009) as well as a designed measure of linguistic insecurity to measure the multiple dimensions of affect. Results include responses to these quantitative battery from 121 HL and FL learners of Spanish. Quantitative results reveal significant differences between profiles with respect to all emotions, except linguistic insecurity. However, open questionnaire data suggest qualitative differences between HLLs' and FLLs' linguistic insecurity. Questionnaire results additionally suggest a positive relationship between language learning interest, linguistic insecurity, and motivation for HL learners. Main study results are expected to influence suggestions for HL education that encourage awareness of positive emotions in heritage and mixed classrooms.
