Foreign Language Enjoyment among Children

Abstract

Current research mainly focuses on cognitive processes, negative emotions, and adult learners, while limited studies investigate FLE among children and its variation by age, gender, and grade in the Turkish EFL learning context. This study investigates foreign language enjoyment (FLE) levels among young learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Turkey and examines whether FLE varies according to age, gender, and grade level. A descriptive research design was employed, with 667 primary school students aged eight to 11 participating. Data were collected using a background questionnaire and the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale for Children (FLES-C). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and independent samples t-tests were used for the data analysis. The study concluded that young learners have high levels of FLE. It was also found that female students have higher levels of FLE than males. It is recommended that teachers should foster positive, engaging, and inclusive learning environments that are sensitive to individual differences.

Keywords

• English as a foreign language
• foreign language enjoyment
• children
• gender
• age

Çocuklarda Yabancı Dil Hazzı Üzerine Betimsel Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Mevcut araştırmalar, ağırlıklı olarak bilişsel süreçlere, olumsuz duygulara ve yetişkin öğrenenlere odaklanmakta olup İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen çocuklar arasında yabancı dil hazzını ve bu değişkenin yaş, cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyine göre değişimini inceleyen çalışmaların sayısı sınırlıdır. Bu çalışma, İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen küçük yaş grubu öğrenciler arasında yabancı dil hazzı düzeyini belirlemek ve yabancı dil hazzının yaş, cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyine göre farklılık gösterip göstermediğini ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, betimsel bir araştırma deseni kullanılmış ve sekiz ile 11 yaşları arasındaki 667 ilkokul öğrencisi çalışmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Veri toplama aracı olarak bir arka plan anketi ve Çocuklar İçin Yabancı Dil Hazzı Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Veri analizi için betimleyici istatistik, ANOVA ve bağımsız örneklem t-testi kullanılmıştır. Çalışma, küçük yaş grubundaki öğrencilerin yüksek düzeyde yabancı dil öğrenme hazzı yaşadıklarını ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca kız öğrencilerin erkek öğrencilere kıyasla daha yüksek düzeyde yabancı dil hazzına sahip oldukları bulunmuştur. Bu sonuçlara dayanarak; öğretmenlerin, bireysel farklılıklara duyarlı ve olumlu olmaları, katılımcı ve etkileşimli öğrenme ortamları oluşturmaları önerilmektedir.

Keywords

• Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce
• yabancı dil hazzı
• çocuklar
• cinsiyet
• yaş

References

1. Ainley, M., & Hidi, S. (2014). Interest and enjoyment. In R. Pekrun & L. Linnenbrink-Garcia (Eds.), International handbook of emotions in education (pp. 205–220). Routledge.
2. Akkaş, F., Tekin, I., & Aydin, S. (2022). A correlational study on enjoyment and anxiety in a foreign language learning context. International LET-IN 2022 Conference, 306–314.
3. Aydin, S., Denkci Akkaş, F., Türnük, T., Baştürk Beydilli, A., & Saydam, I. (2020). Test anxiety among foreign language learners: A qualitative study. The Qualitative Report, 25(12), 4290–4309. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4686
4. Aydin, S., Harputlu, L., Uştuk, Ö., Çelik, Ş. S., & Güzel, S. (2021). Difficulties in collecting data from children aged 7–12. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development, 4(1), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEPD.2021010106
5. Aydin, S., & Zengin, B. (2008). Anxiety in foreign language learning: A review of literature. The Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 4(1), 81–94.
6. Aydın, S. (2025). The Positive Language Teaching Approach. Humanising Language Teaching, 27(3), 1–18.
7. Aydın, S., & Akkaş, F. (2023). A qualitative study on foreign language enjoyment. International LET-IN 2023 Conference, 45–55.
8. Aydın, S., & Akkaya, D. (2025). Adapting the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale for Children. Unpublished Research Paper.

9. Aydın, S., & Denkci Akkaş, F. (2023). Foreign language enjoyment among Turkish EFL learners. Innovational Research in ELT, 4(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.29329/irelt.2023.558.1
10. Aydın, S., Harputlu, L., Savran Çelik, Ş., Uştuk, Ö., & Güzel, S. (2017). A descriptive study on foreign language anxiety among children. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 33(1), 229–241. https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2017028070
11. Aydın, S., & Tekin, I. (2023). Positive psychology and language learning: A systematic scoping review. Review of Education, 11(3), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3420
12. Chanifa, A., Redjeki, E., & Dayati, U. (2020). Benefits of teaching foreign language for early childhood. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Education and Technology, 112–115. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201204.018
13. Derakhshan, A., Dewaele, J., & Azari Noughabi, M. (2022). Modeling the contribution of resilience, well-being, and L2 grit to foreign language teaching enjoyment among Iranian English language teachers. System, 109, 102890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102890
14. Dewaele, J., & MacIntyre, P. (2016). Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety: The right and left feet of the language learner. In T. Gregersen, P. MacIntyre, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive Psychology in SLA (pp. 215–236). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783095360-010
15. Domínguez, R., & Pessoa, S. (2005). Early versus late start in foreign language education: Documenting achievements. Foreign Language Annals, 38(4), 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2005.tb02514.x
16. Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum.
17. Fredrickson, B. (2004). The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1377. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2004.1512
18. Ghasemi, B., & Hashemi, M. (2011). Foreign language learning during childhood. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 28, 872–876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.160
19. Hood, P. (2006). Can early foreign language learning contribute to the shared emotional and motivational landscape of a primary school? Pastoral Care in Education, 24(4), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0122.2006.00384.x
20. Jiang, Y., & Dewaele, J. (2019). How unique is the foreign language classroom enjoyment and anxiety of Chinese EFL learners? System, 82(59), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.017
21. Jin, Y., MacIntyre, P., Jiang, N., & Ren, J. (2023). Understanding pre-adolescent learners’ foreign language enjoyment: a mixed-methods study on Chinese primary school students of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2221676
22. Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. (2019). A comparative study of two scales for foreign language classroom enjoyment. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(5), 1024–1041. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512519864471
23. Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press. Li, C., Jiang, G., & Dewaele, J. (2018). Understanding Chinese high school students’ foreign language enjoyment: Validation of the Chinese Version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale. System, 76, 183–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.06.004
24. Mierzwa, E. (2018). The relationship between foreign language enjoyment and gender among secondary grammar school students. The Journal of Education, Culture, and Society, 9(2), 117–135.
25. Muñoz, C. (2014). Exploring young learners’ foreign language learning awareness. Language Awareness, 23(1–2), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2013.863900
26. Nilsson, M. (2019). Foreign language anxiety: The case of young learners of English in Swedish primary classrooms. Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies, 13(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.17011/apples/urn.201902191584
27. Piniel, K., & Albert, A. (2018). Advanced learners’ foreign language-related emotions across the four skills. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 127–147.
28. Seliger, H. W., & Shohamy, E. (1989). Second language research methods. Oxford University Press.
29. Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
30. Shilova, L., Masterskikh, S., Mensh, E., & Zemlyanova, M. (2019). Learning English language in primary school. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(9), 1475–1489. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-03-2019-0115
31. Sun, Y. (2023). The impact of second-language acquisition on cognitive development. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Modern Educational Technology and Social Sciences (pp. 809–816). Atlantis Press SARL. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-45-9_98
32. Tsang, A., & Davis, C. (2024). Young learners’ well-being and emotions: Examining enjoyment and boredom in the foreign language classroom. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(6), 1481–1488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00828-3
33. Tsang, A., & Dewaele, J. (2024). The relationships between young FL learners’ classroom emotions (anxiety, boredom, & enjoyment), engagement, and FL proficiency. Applied Linguistics Review, 15(5), 2015–2034. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2022-0077
34. Tsang, A., & Lee, J. (2023). The making of proficient young FL speakers: The role of emotions, speaking motivation, and spoken input beyond the classroom. System, 115, 103047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103047
35. Uslu, B. (2020). The effect of foreign language acquisition on preschool children’s self-regulation and social skills. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(4), 548–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1783928
36. Wang, X., & Li, Y. (2022). The predictive effects of foreign language enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom on general and domain-specific English achievement in online English classrooms. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1050226
37. Xia, L., Bak, T., Vega-Mendoza, M., & Sorace, A. (2023). A longitudinal investigation of the effects of language instruction versus immersion on cognitive functions in young adult Chinese speakers learning English. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45(1), 189–211. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263122000158
38. Yeşilçınar, S., Dewaele, J., & Erdemir, N. (2025). The psychometric validation of Turkish versions offour scales: The Foreign Language Enjoyment, Peace of Mind, Boredom, and Classroom Anxiety Scales. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 132(1), 61–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125241280333
39. Yeşilçınar, S., & Erdemir, N. (2022). Are enjoyment and anxiety specific to culture? An investigation into the sources of Turkish EFL learners’ foreign language enjoyment and anxiety. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.2063295
40. Yıldız, A., & Aydın, S. (2023). Research trends in foreign language enjoyment. Eurasian Journal of Language Teaching and Linguistic Studies, 3(2), 394–425.