On examining the links between shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, and L2 achievement: Does gender play a mediating role?

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Teımourı Y., Solhi M.

3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PSYCHOLOGY FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND LEARNERS, İstanbul, Turkey, 25 - 26 October 2024, pp.62-63

• Publication Type: Conference Paper / Summary Text
• City: İstanbul
• Country: Turkey
• Page Numbers: pp.62-63
• Istanbul Medipol University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Second or foreign language (L2) learning is an emotional journey, and the individual differences research in L2

has a long history of examining the intricate relations between language learners’ positive and negative emotions,

motivational behaviors, and L2 learning outcomes (Dewaele & Li, 2020; Plonsky et al., 2022). Although certain

emotions such as anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom have received particular attention from L2 researchers (e.g.,

Li et al., 2023; Teimouri et al., 2019; Li & Wei, 2022; Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2012), a distinct class of emotions,

commonly referred to as self-conscious or social emotions, including shame and guilt, remains comparatively

under-researched in L2 context (Teimouri, 2018). Moreover, research concerning how self-conscious emotional

experiences of men and women might differ during L2 learning is infrequent. This study, thereby, aimed to fill

this research void by exploring the effects of shame-proneness and guilt-proneness of language learners on their

L2 achievement. In particular, we zoomed in on individual differences in susceptibility to emotional reactions

of shame and guilt among male and female English language learners; furthermore, we examined the extent to

which shame-proneness and guilt-proneness might predict L2 achievement differentially between male and female

students. A total number of 327 English-major students participated in this study. The results of independent t-tests

revealed that female students reported more shame and guilt reactions during English language learning— a finding

consistent with previous research in social psychology (e.g., Else-Quest et al., 2012). Multi-group path analyses, on

the other hand, showed that shame-proneness and guilt-proneness predicted L2 achievement similarly for male

and female students: Shame negatively and guilt positively predicted L2 achievement. The results will be discussed

based on the social-cultural underpinnings of the context of the study.