
In recent years, research on enjoyment in foreign language (FL) learning has flourished. To help illuminate the existing scope of inquiry and guide future research, this paper presents a systematic review of 118 empirical studies on FL learning enjoyment published between 2014 and 2023. Each study was coded according to its research context, methodological features, and research focus. The results indicate (1) a heavy focus on adult English as a foreign language (EFL) learners whose first languages are Chinese or Persian within traditional classroom learning settings; (2) a strong preference for quantitative methods; and (3) a prominent focus on enjoyment's antecedents and effects. Drawing upon these findings, we recommend that future research (1) addresses the experiences of language learners from diverse demographic backgrounds in a wider variety of learning settings; (2) applies multimodal methods to thoroughly assess the experience of enjoyment from both objective and subjective perspectives; and (3) explores the nature of enjoyable teacher-student or student-student socio-emotional interaction in greater depth.
Social sciences (General), H1-99, Enjoyment, Research foci, Q1-390, Science (General), Methodological features, Research context, Foreign language learning, Research Article
Social sciences (General), H1-99, Enjoyment, Research foci, Q1-390, Science (General), Methodological features, Research context, Foreign language learning, Research Article
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 9 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
