Seminar I Emotions in Task-based Language Teaching

Seminars / Lectures / Workshops

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Date

06 Nov 2025
Organiser

Department of English and Communication
Time

17:00 - 18:00
Venue

SHA101, PolyU Student Halls of Residence (Hung Hom) / Online via Zoom

Speaker

Professor Chengchen Li

Summary

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has predominantly focused on task features, cognitive learner factors, and negative emotions, particularly anxiety. This narrow focus risks portraying learners as emotionless or perpetually anxious. In this talk, I will advocate for the importance of exploring a broader range of learner emotions in TBLT. The presentation is divided into three parts. First, I will outline the rationale for investigating diverse learner emotions, drawing on key insights from positive psychology, educational psychology, and cognitive psychology. Second, I will present findings from two empirical studies examining task emotions (i.e. task enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom) in L2 speaking and writing contexts. Finally, I will discuss the pedagogical implications of these findings and their potential to inform more emotionally responsive TBLT practices.

Keynote Speaker

Professor Chengchen Li

School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Chengchen Li is a full professor of applied linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Her research interests include positive psychology, L2 writing, task-based language teaching, and bilingualism and cognition. She has published widely in journals including Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and System. She is Co-Editor of the Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and Systemas well as associate editor ofBilingualism: Language and Cognition, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and System. She is Vice President of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning. Dr. Li has been included in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher list (2024) and Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list (2022-2024).

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