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Perceived Functions of Playfulness in Adult English as a Foreign Language Learners: An Exploratory Study
Elyas Barabadi1, Majid Elahi Shirvan1, Mojdeh Shahnama1
1Department of Foreign Languages, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran.
Frontiers in Psychology
|February 10, 2022
Summary
Playfulness in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning enhances enjoyment, creativity, and relationships. This personality trait, linked to intellectual and other-directed playfulness, can improve learner interaction and language proficiency.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Foreign Language Acquisition
- Second Language Acquisition
Background:
- Positive psychology has increasingly influenced foreign language acquisition research.
- Playfulness as a personality construct has not been extensively studied in second language acquisition (SLA).
- Understanding learner personality traits can offer insights into language learning processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the perceived functions of playfulness among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners.
- To investigate how playfulness influences the EFL learning context.
- To connect the construct of playfulness in EFL learning to established psychological frameworks.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative content analysis of interviews with 38 EFL learners.
- Exploration of perceived functions of playfulness in language learning.
- Comparison of findings with existing research on adult playfulness in psychology.
Main Results:
- Four categories of perceived functions emerged: Fun and laughter, creativity, mastery orientation, and cultivating relationships.
- These categories align with two components of adult playfulness: other-directed and intellectual playfulness.
- Learners use playfulness to make language learning situations more enjoyable.
Conclusions:
- Playfulness can positively impact EFL learners' interpersonal interactions and language proficiency.
- The study supports the integration of the adult playfulness construct into SLA research.
- Further conceptualization of playfulness in SLA is recommended for future studies.
Keywords:
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