Original Research
A Longitudinal Examination of Changes in Language Teachers’ Anxiety and Enjoyment Using Growth Curve Modeling
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For over 30 years, Peter MacIntyre shaped and innovated the way(s) in which second language acquisition (SLA) researchers investigate individual differences (IDs) of language learners. His work significantly contributed to the sophistication of conceptual models for learner ID variables such as willingness-to-communicate, anxiety, and enjoyment, advanced theoretical perspectives and approaches, and pioneered methodological innovations, such as the idiodynamic method. The purpose of the present study is to take Peter’s pioneering vision and innovative spirit as starting points and to apply multiple aspects of his work to the empirical investigation of language teacher IDs. Specifically, the study takes a longitudinal approach and examines the (dynamic) change trajectories in language teachers’ anxiety and enjoyment in two different classroom scenarios over a period of nine weeks. Quantitative online survey data was collected from 93 language teachers and analyzed via individual growth curve modeling, using gender and experience level as time-invariant, and coping potential as time-varying covariates. Results indicate unique change trajectories and inter-individual differences for both emotions across both classroom scenarios. Findings also suggest that time-varying, rather than time-invariant variables, consistently explained substantive amounts of variance and variability in language teachers’ emotion trajectories. Directions for future research and practical implications are discussed.
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Keywords
Language Teacher Emotions; Anxiety; Enjoyment; Growth Curve Modeling; Coping Appraisal
Author(s) Information
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the language teachers who generously participated in this study Their time, insights, and openness in sharing their experiences were invaluable to the research project. Without their thoughtful contributions, this work would not have been possible. I am also deeply grateful to Shiyao Ashlee Zhou, Yanyun Yang, and Phil Hiver for publishing and sharing their individual growth curve modeling methods tutorial, which provided both the inspiration and the methodological foundation for this study. Their work not only ensured the rigor of my research design but also contributed meaningfully to my ongoing professional development as a researcher.
Funding
Support for this research was provided by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Ethics Declarations
This study was approved by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Research Ethics Committee (approval no. 2023–1198). All participants provided informed consent prior to enrollment and data collection in the study.
Conflict of Interests
No, there are no conflicting interests.
Open Access
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. You may view a copy of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/