Postgraduate Chinese EFL learners’ emotional vulnerability displays and regulation strategies

Abstract

Learning English as a foreign language (EFL) has been substantiated to be highly emotional and emotion-laden. In many cases, the affective pressures of the field make EFL learners vulnerable to many issues and practices. However, to date, research on postgraduate EFL students' emotional vulnerabilities and associated regulatory strategies has been overlooked. The scope of literature lacks research that enlists the common sources, manifestations, and regulation strategies of second/foreign language (L2) emotional vulnerabilities. To fill these gaps, this study interviewed 20 Chinese postgraduate EFL students to showcase their perceptions, experiences, and regulatory strategies when facing emotional vulnerabilities. The findings indicated that the Chinese postgraduates displayed their emotional vulnerabilities differently by using ‘negative emotional responses,’ ‘seeking help from others,’ ‘facial expressions,’ ‘suppression,’ and ‘avoidance’ of emotional vulnerabilities. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the participants had employed a set of ‘antecedent-focused’ and ‘response-focused’ regulation strategies to cope with their emotional vulnerabilities in L2 learning. The findings are discussed, and implications for theory and practice are presented for EFL students, teachers, teacher educators, and policy-makers to situate emotionality at the center of their practice.