Foreign Language Enjoyment, Linguistic Self-confidence, and the Oral Production of Past-tense Irregular Verbs in Online Interaction

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2023
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Abstract
The present study investigated the acquisition of the irregular past tense in an online setting through a positive psychology lens. Due to the learning and contextual needs of the participant, the pedagogical efforts of this research project were put on her linguistic as well as sociocultural development. The constructs involved were foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and linguistic self-confidence (LSC), which have been studied in relation to other sociolinguistic variables inside the classroom. The current study aimed to a) analyze an EFL student’s foreign language enjoyment while speaking to other English-language users through a video chat online platform and b) analyze the role of foreign language enjoyment in relationship to the oral production of irregular past tense verbs in online conversations. To achieve these objectives, a mixed-methods design was used in the context of a case study. Data was obtained from pre- and post-intervention interviews with the student, in which her FLE and LSC levels were measured as well as her irregular past tense performance, and oral interactions with other English speakers from around the globe through the HelloTalk language-learning app. It was found that the factors of the participant’s FLE and LSC were positively influenced by the intervention and that the accurate production of irregular past-tense forms is related to a learner’s LSC levels. This piece of research sheds light on ways of boosting L2 learners’ FLE and, more specifically, their LSC by using social-media-like language-learning tools for oral practice and real-life interaction.
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Tesis (Magíster en Lingüística Aplicada al Inglés como Lengua Extranjera)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2023.
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