“Bad, really really bad” ESL Learners’ Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Response to Native Speaker

Emotions and emotion regulation are well researched in mainstream psychology. Although the study of emotions is currently receiving increased attention in the literature on second language learning, little empirical evidence is available on the emotional effect of feedback on language learning. This study investigates the emotions experienced by adult ESL learners enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at an American community college, in response to feedback on their performance inside and outside of the classroom. It also investigates how these learners regulated their emotions. Using dynamic systems theory (DST), data were collected through a survey of 25 participants and in-depth interviews with five of them. The findings indicate that the learners experienced a wide range of positive and negative emotions. The interviews revealed the intricate ways in which the learners were able to successfully deal with their emotional responses through a four-phase emotion regulation process. In contrast to most past research in SLA, negative emotions were found to include a facilitative role in language learning. The results have implications for language teachers in that they reveal the importance of learners’ subjective appraisal of the feedback they receive, which is something teachers can affect through appropriate modeling and in-class instruction. Keywords: emotion, emotion regulation, dynamic systems theory (DST), feedback