187 / 2021-06-30 14:20:06

Exploring Chinese EFL Learners' Emotional Engagement in L2 Writing: A Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

emotional engagement, dynamic systems theory, second language writing

Learner engagement refers to the extent of a student’s active involvement in a learning activity, serving as the tool to dissect students' learning process and the indicator to predict academic achievement. Focusing on three sophomores with different performing levels from the same class, this study sought to adopt a qualitative study approach to explore Chinese EFL English-major students' emotional engagement in L2 writing from a dynamic systems theory (DST) perspective. Three major findings emerged from data analysis. First, three participants' emotional engagement trajectories all showed "rollercoaster" patterns with different degrees of ups and downs along the timescale. Second, three participants' emotional engagement in writing process presented inter-individual changes, influenced by a wide range of learner and contextual factors. Third, the sub-components of learners' emotional engagement interplay in each learner's writing process, identifying the variation scheme within individuals. This study contributes to revealing the complex and dynamic nature of learners' emotional engagement in L2 writing process and enhancing understanding on the status quo of English majors' writing engagement as well as its influencing factors in Chinese tertiary-level classrooms.