A Review of Pedagogical Intervention Strategies for Second Language Classroom Anxiety and Enjoyment

Main Article Content

Yicong Zhao
Huihua College of Hebei Normal University, Hebei, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70267/er.v3n2.1322

Keywords

foreign language anxiety, foreign language enjoyment, teaching intervention, second language acquisition

Abstract

Anxiety is prevalent among language learners and has been proven to negatively impact language performance. Conversely, positive emotions, like pleasure, can enhance learning engagement and academic achievement. However, despite growing recognition of the importance of these two emotional dimensions, sufficient evidence-based guidance remains lacking regarding how foreign language teachers can systematically regulate these emotions in their daily classroom teaching. This review adopts a literature review approach, examining empirical research published between 2011 and 2026 on teaching interventions targeting anxiety and pleasure in foreign language learning. Three effective types of interventions are identified, including teacher communication and support, task design and adjustment, and positive psychological training. Further analysis demonstrates that most interventions exert positive or neutral effects on language learning outcomes. Nevertheless, existing scholarship contains several key limitations: insufficient simultaneous measurement of anxiety and pleasure changes, scarcity of longitudinal follow-up research, weak causal evidence, and inadequate sample diversity. Based on these findings, this review proposes future research directions and provides evidence-based practical suggestions for foreign language teachers to optimize the classroom emotional atmosphere.

Abstract 0 | PDF Downloads 0

References

  • [1] Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
  • [2] Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5
  • [3] MacIntyre, P. D., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 193–213. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2012.2.2.4
  • [4] Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2016). Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety: The right and left feet of the language learner. In T. Gregersen, P. D. MacIntyre, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive psychology in SLA (pp. 215–236). Multilingual Matters.
  • [5] Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
  • [6] MacIntyre, P. D. (1999). Language anxiety: A review of the research for language teachers. Affect in foreign language and second language learning: A practical guide to creating a low-anxiety classroom atmosphere, 24(1), 34-70.
  • [7] Dewaele, J.-M. (2017). Psychological dimensions and foreign language anxiety. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 433–450). Routledge.
  • [8] Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2016). Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety: The right and left feet of the language learner. In T. Gregersen, P. D. MacIntyre, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive psychology in SLA (pp. 215–236). Multilingual Matters.
  • [9] Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9
  • [10] Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
  • [11] Toyama, M., & Yamazaki, Y. (2021). Classroom interventions and foreign language anxiety: A review with narrative approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 614184. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.614184
  • [12] Xiong, Y., Zhang, Q., Zhao, L., Liu, S., Guan, H., Sui, Y., Feng, J., & Lee, K. M. R. (2024). A meta-analysis and review of foreign language anxiety interventions among students. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 43(5–6), 620–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X241291258
  • [13] Li, Z., & Xing, L. (2024). Foreign language anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom among Chinese secondary students: A control-value theory approach. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, Article 544. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03049-7
  • [14] Dong, L., Liu, M., & Yang, F. (2022). The relationship between foreign language classroom anxiety, enjoyment, and expectancy-value motivation and their predictive effects on Chinese high school students’ self-rated foreign language proficiency. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 860603. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860603
  • [15] Wang, Y., & Derakhshan, A. (2023). Teacher confirmation and caring in Chinese and Iranian student’ willingness to attend EFL classes. Porta Linguarum, 39, 165–192. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.v39.23625
  • [16] Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2020). Are foreign language learners’ enjoyment and anxiety specific to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners’ classroom emotions. In C. Gkonou, J.-M. Dewaele, & J. King (Eds.), The emotional rollercoaster of language teaching (pp. 45–65). Multilingual Matters.
  • [17] Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75(4), 426–439. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb05378.x
  • [18] Foster, P., & Skehan, P. (1996). The influence of planning and task type on second language performance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18(3), 299–323. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100015047
  • [19] Ahmadian, M. J., & Tavakoli, M. (2011). The effects of simultaneous use of careful online planning and task repetition on accuracy, complexity, and fluency in EFL learners’ oral production. Language Teaching Research, 15(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810383329
  • [20] Kawashima, H. (2023). Effects of pre-task planning on speaking anxiety of Japanese EFL learners. ARELE: Annual Review of English Language Education in Japan, 34, 145–160. https://doi.org/10.20581/arele.34.0_145
  • [21] Liu, M.-C., Huang, Y.-M., & Xu, Y.-H. (2018). Effects of individual versus group work on learner autonomy and emotion in digital storytelling. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66(4), 1009–1028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9601-2
  • [22] Scida, E. E., & Jones, J. N. (2017). The impact of contemplative practices on foreign language anxiety and learning. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7(4), 573–599. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2017.7.4.2
  • [23] Toyama, M., & Yamazaki, Y. (2021). Anxiety reduction sessions in foreign language classrooms. The Language Learning Journal, 49(3), 330-342.
  • [24] Gregersen, T. (2016). The positive broadening power of a focus on well-being in the language classroom. In D. Gabryś-Barker & D. Gałajda (Eds.), Positive psychology perspectives on foreign language learning and teaching (pp. 57–73). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32954-3_4
  • [25] Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2018). The dimensions of foreign language classroom enjoyment and their effect on foreign language achievement. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1526253
  • [26] Jin, Y., Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2021). Reducing anxiety in the foreign language classroom: A positive psychology approach. System, 101, Article 102604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102604
  • [27] Wei, C. W., Kao, H. Y., Lu, H. H., & Liu, Y. C. (2018). The effects of competitive gaming scenarios and personalized assistance strategies on English vocabulary learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(3), 146-158.
  • [28] Chaima, T. A. H. E. R., & Hachemia, M. A. A. M. R. I. (2023). Enhancing Speaking Skills of EFL Students through Role Play Case Study: Hello Languages School-Metlili, Ghardaia
  • [29] Lee, K. K., Abbott, M. L., & Chen, N. (2021). Increasing students’ willingness to communicate: Drama-based approaches to language instruction in English for academic purposes classes. TESL Canada Journal, 38(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v38i2.1362
  • [30] Balgos, A. R. (2020). ‘I play, therefore I can’: Using drama activities to reduce the English speaking anxiety of college students. Modern Journal of Studies in English Language Teaching and Literature, 2(2), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.56498/22202080
  • [31] Maistrello, V., & Dalziel, F. C. (2020). Overcoming anxiety in adult migrants’ language learning by means of process drama. Global Education Review, 7(4), 29–45.
  • [32] Ambarshahi, S., & Yeganeh, O. (2026). Form-focused tasks in task-based language teaching for enhancing EFL learners’ speaking fluency and motivation. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances, 14(1), 31–52. https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2026.30662.1813
  • [33] Peng, C. (2021). The academic motivation and engagement of students in English as a foreign language classes: Does teacher praise matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 778174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.778174
  • [34] Dewaele, J.-M., & Alfawzan, M. (2018). Does the effect of enjoyment outweigh that of anxiety in foreign language performance? Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 21–45. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.2
  • [35] Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2021). The dimensions of foreign language classroom enjoyment and their effect on foreign language achievement. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1526253

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published
Sep 19, 2026
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026)
Section
Research Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zhao, Y. (2026). A Review of Pedagogical Intervention Strategies for Second Language Classroom Anxiety and Enjoyment. Education Research, 3(2), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.70267/er.v3n2.1322