Mastering Academic English in Hungarian Higher Education

Pursuing a doctoral degree is an intellectually and emotionally demanding journey. In this context, the concept of grit, defined as perseverance of efforts and passion for long-term goals despite adversities has become a key factor influencing doctoral students’ persistence, emotional resilience, and sustained motivation when navigating academic challenges. In today’s globalised higher education, mastering academic English is also essential for academic and professional success, which can pose significant challenges, particularly for those who use English as a foreign language. Thus, this paper explores how grit interacts with emotions, emotion regulation and motivation in mastering academic English within Hungarian higher education. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research involved nine doctoral students specialising in linguistics from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The data collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed and validated by co-coders. Findings revealed that highly gritty PhD students were driven by various internal and external sources of motivation, primarily by passion for learning and professional development as teachers and researchers. While the students’ curiosity and enjoyment grew in insightful academic environments, their challenges with academic writing, negative feedback, extensive readings written in complex English, and unengaging classes led to anxiety, frustration and mixed feelings with fluctuations in motivation. The participants shared various strategies, including cognitive change and social support, to navigate the challenges. This study contributes to understanding the role of grit and emotion regulation in supporting doctoral students by emphasising the effective use of strategies. The research offers practical insights into integrating necessary training into graduate programmes aimed at developing grit, emotional resilience and wellbeing, sustained motivation and linguistic proficiency essential for academic achievement and long-term career paths.