Articles
European Journal of Psychology of Education (18785174)40(1)
This study examined the relationship of positive and negative beliefs about competition and social comparison orientations with second language (L2) learners’ engagement and performance. The participants were 343 Iranian undergraduate students, including 69 (20.1%) male and 273 (79.9%) female learners. They responded to self-report scales on beliefs about competition, cooperative and competitive orientations, and engagement. The results of structural equation modeling showed that all types of engagement (emotional, behavioral, agentic, and cognitive) were significantly and positively predicted by cooperative orientation and negatively predicted by negative beliefs about competition. Moreover, the results indicated that positive beliefs about competition did not predict any type of engagement and competitive orientation negatively predicted language performance. These findings highlight the importance for language instructors to consider the competitive and collaborative dynamics within their classrooms. By fostering cooperative environments, educators can enhance student engagement in second language acquisition (SLA), ultimately leading to improved learning outcomes. This research suggests that a balanced approach to competition and collaboration is essential for optimizing language learning experience. © Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida 2025.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development (01434632)
This study investigates the relationship between grit and psychological flow and academic buoyancy among Duolingo users, with perceived competence and competitiveness as mediating factors. A sample of 191 Duolingo multiple language learners, selected through convenience sampling, participated in the study by completing self-report questionnaires measuring their grit, psychological flow, academic buoyancy, perceived competence, and competitiveness. Path analysis results revealed that persistence of effort directly and positively predicted both psychological flow and academic buoyancy, whereas consistency of interest was only a positive predictor of psychological flow. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that persistence of effort predicted both psychological flow and academic buoyancy through the mediation of perceived competence and predicted psychological flow through the mediation of competitiveness. In contrast, consistency of interest did not predict either psychological flow or academic buoyancy through the mediating effects of perceived competence or competitiveness. These findings underscore the importance of grit as a crucial determinant of user engagement in Duolingo’s language learning activities and their ability to navigate the challenges inherent in acquisition through this platform. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Language teachers encounter many difficulties and daily struggles, due to the demanding nature of their occupation, which may make them regret selecting this profession. This study explored the presence, causes and consequences of occupational regret among language teachers and investigated how language teachers reacted to this negative feeling. The participants were 40 Iranian English teachers. The findings revealed that language teaching regret was cyclical in nature, including three phases named regret triggers, reactions, and inactivity. Moreover, teachers’ regret was triggered by factors related to the self, work, society, and education system. The reaction strategies were also classified into five groups: avoidance, acceptance, mindset shift, development, and displacement, and the teachers fell under different regret profiles based on how they responded to their regret. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
