Distinguished Lectures in Humanities: Positive Psychology in Foreign Language Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Over the past decade, positive psychology has catalyzed a profound “positive turn” in foreign language education research and practice. Concurrently, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is exerting a far-reaching impact on foreign language learning and teaching. Yet, the intersection of these two powerful forces, the application of positive psychology in foreign language education within the context of the AI era, remains largely under-explored. To address this gap, this talk, grounded in positive psychology, advocates for an AI-empowered Model of Positive Language Education. This model represents a fundamental paradigm shift: moving from a traditionally instrumental orientation toward language learning to a holistic, empowering approach, re-conceptualized through the lens of positive psychology in the age of AI. It prioritizes the cultivation of human strengths (e.g., creativity, critical thinking, and emotional competence), well-being, and socialization of both teachers and learners through the synergistic use of AI, while simultaneously upholding pedagogical effectiveness in improving linguistic proficiency. The talk elaborates on the core tenets, key research themes, and theoretical underpinnings of positive psychology that are most pertinent to this AI-empowered framework. It will conclude with constructive recommendations for future research and pedagogical practice.

About the speaker

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. She has published more than 60 articles in journals including Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Modern Language Journal, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition. She is Co-Editor of the Journal of Multilingualism and Multicultural Development and Associate Editor of the Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. She is Vice President of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning. Prof. LI has been included in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher list (2024-2025) and Stanford’s Top 2% Scientists list (2022-2025).