THE EFFECTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE ENJOYMENT AMONG EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

Foreign Language Enjoyment plays a pivotal role in English as a foreign language learning because a high level of enjoyment may help learners achieve language proficiency. Communicating in English is linked to both positive and negative emotions. Inspired by the shift from negative psychology to positive psychology in foreign language learning, the present study aimed to investigate whether language enjoyment is a potential predictor of English learning. In other words, Enjoyment seems to matter more in English performance. Qualitative material collected shed light on the effects of enjoyment and how this shaped participants’ decisions to pursue or abandon the study of English at Djilali Bounaama university which were interview in addition to a classroom, observation. Also that foreign language enjoyment was a predictor of willingness to communicate but foreign language classroom anxiety did not correlate significantly with students’ communication. These results suggest higher levels of enjoyment may have neutralized the effects of anxiety on English learners, indicating the role of positive emotions. Implications for foreign language students as well as teachers are discussed.