Enjoyment, Emotional Intelligence, and Strategy Use in Japanese University Students: A Longitudinal Study in a Distance-Learning Course

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships between foreign language enjoyment (FLE), emotional intelligence (EI), and strategy use in 67 Japanese first-year university students from three classes, learning in a distance-learning environment (i.e., online lessons). The study also explored their FLE changes over one year and the variables influencing the changes. The results of quantitative analyses showed significant positive correlations between FLE and EI and between FLE and strategy use. The results of qualitative analyses demonstrated that although the FLE values of the three classes exhibited unique and varied trajectories, they shared similar points of time in their up and down movements. These movements were related to the content of the lessons. The results also revealed that 19.39% of the participants experienced major changes in their FLE values during the online course. These changes were associated with several environmental variables (i.e., in-class and out-of-class variables). The findings and theoretical/pedagogical implications are discussed from the perspective of dynamic systems.