The paper titled The Influence of Teacher Emotional Support on Language Learners' Basic Psychological Needs, Emotions, and Emotional Engagement: Treatment-based Evidence explores how a 10-week emotionally supportive teaching intervention affects learners' perceptions of teacher emotional support (TES), basic psychological needs (BPNs) satisfaction, emotions of anxiety and enjoyment, and emotional engagement in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, involving an experimental group (N=63) and a control group (N=58).
The research aimed to examine the empirical effect of TES on various learner outcomes through an intervention-based approach, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It sought to fill a gap in the research regarding TES's emotional dimension and its direct influence on learners’ emotions and engagement in the classroom. The study's primary focus was to measure how emotional support from teachers can impact EFL students’ overall classroom experiences, particularly their emotional and psychological needs.
The study employed a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design to gather reliable data over three time points: pre-intervention (T1), mid-intervention (T2), and post-intervention (T3). Data collection methods included classroom observations and questionnaires to capture both qualitative and quantitative insights into perceived TES, BPNs satisfaction, emotions, and emotional engagement. The experimental group received emotionally supportive teaching strategies aimed at fostering a positive classroom climate, teacher sensitivity, and teacher regard for student perspectives, while the control group followed a typical teaching approach.
The results of the study revealed significant positive changes in the experimental group's self-reported TES behaviors, BPNs satisfaction, emotions, and emotional engagement over time, compared to the control group. The intervention showed the largest impact on learners' satisfaction of BPNs, which led to further emotional engagement and positive emotions like enjoyment. Anxiety levels also decreased significantly in the experimental group, demonstrating that emotionally supportive teaching helps mitigate negative emotions in language learners. The differences between the experimental and control groups became most evident toward the end of the intervention.
This study provides strong evidence that TES, when systematically applied in EFL classrooms, leads to significant improvements in learners' psychological and emotional engagement. By the end of the study, the experimental group showed notable increases in positive perceptions of their learning experience, stronger emotional connections to the classroom, and a greater sense of satisfaction with their psychological needs. The findings suggest that TES is an effective pedagogical tool for enhancing EFL learning outcomes.
The paper concludes that emotionally supportive teaching interventions hold substantial benefits for language learners, fostering not only academic progress but also emotional well-being. The researchers suggest that these interventions should be more widely implemented in language education settings, particularly in contexts where learner anxiety and emotional engagement are critical for success. The study's limitations include the short duration of the intervention and the lack of investigation into how TES impacts learners’ academic achievement in foreign language learning. Future studies are recommended to explore these areas further and to examine the complex relationships between TES, BPNs, and emotional engagement.