Language Teaching Research Quarterly

The positive turn in SLA (MacIntyre at al., 2016) has sparked growing interest in the relationship between positive affective variables and language learning outcomes. Foreign language enjoyment has garnered particular attention as a positive emotion supporting language learning behaviors and achievement. However, within psychology and cognition, enjoyment is conceptualized as a multifaceted emotion and comprised of interest and joy as subcomponent emotions. The current study takes a quantitative approach to explore the relationship between vocabulary learning and interest and joy, respectively, for 121 advanced foreign and heritage language learners of university Spanish in the U.S. Models of best fit produced through structural equation modeling reveal that interest, but not joy, may act as a predictor of vocabulary learning, particularly for foreign language learners. Cognitive and social aspects of interest and joy, as well as cross-cultural differences between learner profiles, offer insights into the potential implications of interest as a potentially influential emotion in language learning. By expanding the research on positive emotions in SLA and exploring an often-overlooked group of learners, this study carries important theoretical implications and offers an anchor for future research in positive psychology in SLA.