Work

How do English Proficiency and learning motivation shape EFL students’ emotions toward written corrective feedback?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Although individual differences among learners are thought to influence their emotional reactions to written corrective feedback (WCF), empirical evidence on this subject is limited. Based on the control-value theory (CVT), this study used a quantitative approach to explore the effects of two individual differences, English proficiency and English learning motivation, on EFL students' emotional responses (5 positive emotions and 3 negative emotions) toward teachers' written corrective feedback. The results indicated that English proficiency had a limited impact on the eight emotional responses to WCF, whereas English learning motivation played a crucial role. Highly motivated students experienced both positive and negative emotions more intensely than lowly motivated students. It was also observed that instrumental motivation had a stronger association with students’ emotional responses toward WCF compared with integrative motivation. The findings in this study partly differ from CVT reasoning and existing literature on L2 learning emotions, which draws attention to the distinctive features of WCF and calls for more research efforts on academic emotions in WCF situations.

Source: System

DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2025.103681

Authors: Feifei Ni, Wei Xu

Institutions: Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, City University of Macau

Language: English

Topic: EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,980