Advancing Research on Positive Psychology in SLA

Tammy Gregersen is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Baylor University, USA.  She has published extensively on teacher wellbeing, individual differences, teacher education, language teaching methodology, positive psychology and nonverbal communication in language classrooms.Meagan Driver is Assistant Professor of Teaching, Curriculum, and Change in the Warner School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester, USA. Her scholarship in applied linguistics focuses on heritage language education and second language acquisition, and she is Associate Editor at System.Sarah Mercer is Professor of Foreign Language Teaching and Head of ELT Research and Methodology at the University of Graz, Austria. Her research interests include all aspects of psychology related to the learning and teaching of foreign languages and she is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series.Peter D. MacIntyre is Professor of Psychology at Cape Breton University, Canada. He has received awards for teaching excellence (Atlantic Association of Universities), contribution to the study of language (the Gardner Award and the Mildenberger Prize), publication in language and social psychology (Harwood Award) and service to students and the community.

• Chapter 1. Tammy Gregersen, Sarah Mercer: IntroductionChapter 2. Julia Aigner, Sarah Mercer: Positive Psychology in Language Education: Taking Stock, Looking Back to Look AheadChapter 3. Christina Gkonou: Embracing the Spectrum of Emotions: Understanding the Functionality of Positive and Negative EmotionsChapter 4. Rieko Nishida, Tomoko Yashima, Tomoki Takagi: Engaging Japanese Junior High Students in English Learning: Focusing on Positive and Negative EmotionsChapter 5. Amy S. Thompson: Showcasing Positive Psychology with Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching AssistantsChapter 6. Enhao Feng, Chengchen Li, Pia Resnik: Achievement Goals in SLA: A Person-Centered Approach to Its Links with L2 Engagement and AchievementChapter 7. Katalin Piniel, Kinga Petrovics, Anna Zólyomi: Language Learners’ Self-Efficacy and Peer Assessment: A Positive Psychological Design-Based InterventionChapter 8. Jean-Marc Dewaele, Elouise Botes: Socio-Demographic Variables as Sources of Variation in Foreign Language Emotions: A Cautionary Tale About Snowball SamplingChapter 9. Gholam Hassan Khajavy, Soheila Soleimanzadeh, Mahdieh Vaziri: Exploring Social Context in Language Learning: Unveiling the Neglected Pillar of Positive PsychologyChapter 10. Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Anna Becker: “It Disposed Me to Reflect on My Life”: The Effect of Positive Psychology Interventions on Students’ Emotional IntelligenceChapter 11. María Matilde Olivero, María Celina Barbeito: Pre-Service Teachers’ Responses to a Positive Psychology Intervention in an EFL PracticumChapter 12. Tammy Gregersen, Iman Kamel Ahmed, Maria A. Meza: Beyond the Lesson Plan: Tracking the Emotional Pulse and Wellbeing of Tomorrow's English TeachersChapter 13. Peter MacIntyre, Meagan Driver: Positive Psychology in SLA: A New and Generative Stage

Building on the expanding interest in positive psychology in SLA, this volume provides a valuable blueprint on how to engage with emergent theories and research methodologies while being grounded in the practical concerns of language learners and teachers, as they run the gamut of emotional experiences in their academic lives.