Affective Factors in Foreign Language Learning : A Quantitative Study of the English Classroom in a Swedish Context

This study investigates affective factors with particular focus on foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety in the context of Swedish upper secondary school.There is a research gap in the existing research that takes on a holistic perspective on which affective factors could contribute to foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety. To address this gap, the study has used a questionnaire completed by 43 pupils at a Swedish upper secondary school. The findings suggest that foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety are distinct sets of emotions that Swedish English language learners experience simultaneously. Specifically, the findings indicate that pupils experience more enjoyment than classroom anxiety on an individual level. As for the classroom atmosphere, they experience very little emotion, suggesting that they feel safe and secure among their classmates and at school. However, the educational context that aids learning triggers the most emotional response among the participants of this study. More specifically, this study provides insights into the complex relationship a learner experiences with the teacher, peers, and learning activities during English class. These results align with earlier research and underscore the need for educators to pay closer attention to how teacher relationships, peer interactions, and classroom activities shape learners’ emotional experiencesin the English language classroom. This suggests that educators and teachers should be encouraged to create supportive, well-designed learning environments, as it may increase foreign language enjoyment and support English language learning.