Emotion Regulation and Foreign Language Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Study of Chinese Learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Hong Kong

Current literature has consistently indicated the detriments of high levels of foreign language anxiety on language performance. However, a crucial piece of the puzzle remains missing: how learners may systematically learn to manage their own foreign language anxiety (FLA). The current study was designed with the argument that there lacked theory-driven literature to drive organised research. By drawing on an empirically-validated theoretical model in psychology called the Process Model of Emotion Regulation (Gross, 1998, 2005), the present mixed-methods study investigated the use of two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, among a sample of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) at a university in Hong Kong. It also examined the relation between emotion regulation and FLA levels, and as a secondary line of inquiry, how emotion regulation influenced the link between FLA and second language motivation. The quantitative questionnaire surveyed 495 learners from different undergraduate years and academic disciplines. Sixteen informants of three levels (high, medium, low) of FLA were then selected for the qualitative research, of which the main component was a stimulated recall interview. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was conducted online.

Results showed that the two emotion regulation strategies were not often used, with cognitive reappraisal being more frequently used than expressive suppression. Cognitive reappraisal was less common and popular among learners with low English proficiency. The likely reason is twofold: a) cognitive reappraisal is complicated and demands cognitive resources; b) the low English proficiency strains cognitive resources. Expressive suppression had a more pervasive positive relation with FLA. Cognitive reappraisal was negatively correlated with FLA but the influence was limited to speaking with native speakers. Three important over-arching conditions were identified to be necessary for effective FLA regulation. Methodological limitations and suggestions on pedagogy and future research are discussed.