Foreign Language Learning Enjoyment and Anxiety: The Effects of Teacher Variables and Online Class Environment

This study explores the relationship between foreign language classroom enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLA), teacher-related factors in online classroom environment. An online survey was conducted with 118 English as second language learners from junior high schools in China. The results indicate a moderate negative correlation between FLE and FLA. Overall, students in online classrooms reported higher levels of FLE compared to offline classrooms. Five teacher personality traits (e.g., teacher likability, humor, and friendliness) account for 60.4% of the variance in foreign language enjoyment, while they can only predict 12.9% of the changes in anxiety and 39.6% in motivation, suggesting that FLE is more dependent on teachers’ factors than FLA. Our findings contribute to the growing body of research examining learner-external factors related to emotions, offering important implications for L2 online instruction for practitioners and researchers.