Positive Psychology Perspectives on Foreign Language Learning and Teaching

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

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2. Introducing Positive Psychology in Second Language Acquisition

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. So Far So Good: An Overview of Positive Psychology and Its Contributions to SLA

      • Peter D. MacIntyre

      Pages 3-20

   3. Powerfully Positive: Searching for a Model of Language Learner Well-Being

      • Rebecca L. Oxford

      Pages 21-37

   4. Difficulty and Coping Strategies in Language Education: Is Positive Psychology Misrepresented in SLA/FLT?

      • Hanna Komorowska

      Pages 39-56

3. Focus on a Learner: Positive Interventions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 57-57

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   2. The Positive Broadening Power of a Focus on Well-Being in the Language Classroom

      • Tammy Gregersen

      Pages 59-73

   3. Activating Character Strengths Through Poetic Encounters in a Foreign Language—A Case Study

      • Liliana Piasecka

      Pages 75-92

   4. Pedagogical Implications of Positive Psychology: Positive Emotions and Human Strengths in Vocabulary Strategy Training

      • Sylwia Kossakowska-Pisarek

      Pages 93-114

   5. A Positive Intervention: Personal Responsibility Among First-Year, L2 University Students

      • Andrea Dallas, Mary Hatakka

      Pages 115-131

   6. Positive Emotions and Learner Engagement: Insights from an Early FL Classroom

      • Ewa Guz, Małgorzata Tetiurka

      Pages 133-153

   7. Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Class: On a Positive Classroom Climate

      • Danuta Gabryś-Barker

      Pages 155-174

   8. Personality, Emotional Intelligence and L2 Use in an Immigrant and Non-immigrant Context

      • Katarzyna Ożańska-Ponikwia

      Pages 175-191

   9. International Students in Australia: What Makes Them Happy? Student Data from the Positive Education Perspective

      • Beata Malczewska-Webb

      Pages 193-210

4. Focus on a Teacher: Personal and Professional Well-being

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 211-211

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   2. Helping Language Teachers to Thrive: Using Positive Psychology to Promote Teachers’ Professional Well-Being

      • Sarah Mercer, Pia Oberdorfer, Mehvish Saleem

      Pages 213-229

   3. High Inhibitions and Low Self-esteem as Factors Contributing to Foreign Language Teacher Stress

      • Anna Ligia Wieczorek

      Pages 231-247

   4. “I Want to Be Happy as a Teacher”. How Emotions Impact Teacher Professional Development

      • Elena Gallo

      Pages 249-266

   5. Adult Learners’ Expectations Concerning Foreign Language Teachers and the Teaching-Learning Process

      • Teresa Maria Włosowicz

      Pages 267-285

5. Focus on Assessment: Achievement and Success

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 287-287

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This book introduces readers to the principles of a fairly new branch of psychology – positive psychology – and demonstrates how they can be applied in the context of second language acquisition in a natural environment and in instructed foreign language (FL) learning. It focuses both on the well-being and success of the learner and the professional and personal well-being of the teacher. Further, the book stresses the importance of the positive emotions and character strengths of those involved in the process of language learning and teaching, as well as the significant role played by enabling institutions such as school and, at the micro-level, individual FL classes.

• Positive Psychology for Language Learning
• Second Language Acquisition
• Character Strengths
• Positive Emotions
• Enabling Institutions

• Institute of English, University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland

  Danuta Gabryś-Barker, Dagmara Gałajda

Danuta Gabryś-Barker is Professor of English at the University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, where she lectures and supervises M.A. and Ph.D. theses in applied linguistics, psycholinguistics and especially in second language acquisition. She also works as a teacher trainer. Her main areas of interest are multilingualism (especially at the level of mental lexicon and syntax) and applied psycholinguistics (modalities, learner profiles and affectivity). As a teacher trainer she lectures on research methods in second language acquisition and TEFL projects. Her major concern is the role of action research in teacher development. Prof. Gabryś-Barker has published over a hundred articles nationally as well as internationally and a book Aspects of multilingual storage, processing and retrieval, Katowice: University of Silesia Press, 2005 and Reflectivity in pre-service teacher education which came out in 2012.  She has edited nine volumes, among others a volume Morphosyntactic Issues in Second Language Acquisition (Multilingual Matters, 2008), Topics in Applied Psycholinguistics (University of Silesia Press, 2015) and co-edited The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition (Multilingual Matters, 2013). She is the Vice-president of the Polish Association for the Study of English (PASE) and a Board member of International Association of Multilingualism. She is the editor-in-chief (together with Eva Vetter) of the International Journal of Multilingualism (Taylor & Francis/Routledge).

Dagmara Gałajda received her Ph.D. degree in linguistics from the University of Silesia, where she works as assistant professor. The research area of her doctoral thesis concentrated on willingness to communicate (WTC) in L1 and L2 and on other related communication variables like communication apprehension (CA) and self-perceived communicative competence. Apart from communication studies, her research interests focus on teacher's action zone in facilitating group dynamics, affect in language learning, individual learner differences in SLA / FLL and reflective teaching. Recent publications include: Teacher's Action Zone in Facilitating Group Dynamics in M. Pinto (ed.) (2012) Linguarum Arena Vol. 3, Anxiety and perceived communication competence as predictors of willingness to communicate in ESL/FL classroom in D. Gabryś-Barker, J. Bielska (eds) (2013) The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, Communication apprehension and self-perceived communication competence as variables underlying willingness to communicate in K. Piątkowska, E. Kościałkowska-Okońska (eds) (2013) Correspondences and Contrasts in Foreign Language Pedagogy and Translation Studies. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Currently she is co-editing  Young Scholars on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics: Research Projects Oficyna Wydawnicza – Wyższa Szkoła Humanitas (together with Maria Wysocka, Artur Kijak and Paweł Zakrajewski).

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