Integrated effects of interactional cognitions and emotional regulation capacity on peer interaction in the L2 classroom

Language learning research acknowledges the interconnected nature of emotion and cognition in learning behaviors. L2 interaction in particular implicates learners' thoughts (e.g., the purpose for interaction, the aim of an interactive task, the structure of spoken turns) and feelings (e.g., about the interlocutor, the topic, the setting, task performance) in the interactional behavior that ensues. In this study, we investigated how L2 learners' emotional regulation capacity and interactional cognitions affect peer interaction. Data were collected from post-secondary L2 learners of English in mainland China (N = 195) related to their emotional regulation capacity, interactional self-efficacy, and interactional engagement. We first validated all instruments through latent variable analyses. Using linear regression, we tested the hypothesis that both emotion regulation and task-specific interactional cognitions affect learners' interactional behaviors. Our results demonstrated that students' interaction-specific cognitions were strongly predictive of their interactional engagement. However, learners' emotional regulation capacity was not. Students' gender did not affect these relationships, but additional exploratory analyses revealed interesting links between learners' L2 proficiency levels and their interaction-specific cognitions and engagement. Our findings suggest that interventions to increase learners’ interactional self-efficacy can promote higher interactional engagement with peers in the L2 classroom, regardless of L2 proficiency level.