I feel, therefore I am: The central role of emotions in language education

In this practical workshop, we look at the role and function of various emotions in language teaching and learning. We consider the problems of simply labelling emotions as positive or negative and instead reflect on what function an emotion may serve for a person at a particular moment in time. We examine ways of regulating emotions effectively and look specifically at the emotions of embarrassment, pride, enjoyment, and awe considering both teacher and learner perspectives.

Sarah Mercer is Professor of Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Graz, Austria, where she is Head of ELT methodology. Her research interests include all aspects of the psychology surrounding the foreign language learning experience. She is the author, co-author and co-editor of several books in this area. She has served as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects, has worked on the editorial board of various journals, was co-editor of System for several years, is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series, is currently vice-president of IAPLL, and is ambassador for IATEFL.

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