Articles
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5530-3880
Late-life foreign language education (i.e., FL geragogy, FLG) is said to be related to the de- lay of age-related cognitive changes in healthy individuals and has been shown to positively affect the quality of life of older adults, the fastest-growing age group worldwide. These are also the two main reasons which seem to be behind the high enrolment rates for FL courses at the Universities of the Third Age (U3A) and senior centres alike. Nowadays, following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and months spent in the emergency remote teaching, some of the older learners decided to continue their ed- ucation online, others came back to the classrooms. In both cases, the research on third age learner emotions remains rather scarce, despite a gradually increasing interest of applied linguists in this age group. The aim of this paper is thus to bridge the gap between FLG and Positive Language Education (Mercer et al.) by discerning the reasons behind the learners’ choice of in-person or online classes and investigating the emotions experienced in both modes. To this end, the qualitative research was conducted in two groups of older adult English as a FL learners in the in-class (n = 11) and online mode (n = 6). The data was collected via open-ended questionnaire and a thematic analysis of the dataset was done to identify patterns of meaning. The results indicate that although the emotions in both modes are similar, and learning English in later life is a source of pride, satisfaction, and self-fulfilment irrespective of the form of classes, the online experience is decidedly more negative and causes greater anxiety, frustration, and boredom. In addition, face-to-face social interaction seems to play a vital role in the learners’ overall perception of the course.
Antoniou, M. and S. M. Wright. 2017. “Uncovering the Mechanisms Responsible for Why Language Learning May Promote Healthy Cognitive Aging.” Frontiers in Psychology 8. 2217. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02217.
Antoniou, M., G. M. Gunasekera and P. C. M. Wong. 2013. “Foreign Language Training as Cognitive Therapy for Age-Related Cognitive Decline: A Hypothesis for Future Research.” Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 37. 2689–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.09.004.
Babic, S., et al. 2022. “Positive Language Education: Teaching Beyond Language.” Humanising Language Teaching 24.5. Retrieved from https://www.hltmag.co.uk/oct22/positive-language-education. 15 Feb. 2024.
Bak, T. H., M. Vega-Mendoza and A. Sorace. 2014. Never Too Late? Advantage on Tests of Auditory Attention Extends to Late Bilinguals. Frontiers in Psychology 5. 485. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00485.
Baran-Łucarz, M. and A. Słowik-Krogulec. 2023. “Language Anxiety of Older Adults in an Online and In-class EFL Course: Results of a Pilot Study.” In: Baran-Łucarz, M., A. Czura, M., Jedynak, A., Klimas, and A. Słowik-Krogulec (eds.). Contemporary Issues in Foreign Language Education: Festschrift in Honour of Anna Michońska-Stadnik. Cham: Springer International, 231–51.
Berggren, R., et al. 2020. “Foreign Language Learning in Older Age does not Improve Memory or Intelligence: Evidence from A Randomized Controlled Study.” Psychology and Aging 35.2. 212–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000439.
Bialystok, E., et al. 2016. “Aging in Two Languages: Implications for Public Health.” Ageing Research Reviews 27. 56–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2016.03.003.
Braun, V. and V. Clarke. 2021. Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Csíkszentmihályi, M. 1990. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York City: Harper.
Dewaele, J.-M., et al. 2019. “The Flowering of Positive Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching and Acquisition Research.” Frontiers in Psychology: Language Sciences 10. 2128.
Dewaele, J.-M. and P. MacIntyre. 2014. “The Two Faces of Janus? Anxiety and Enjoyment in the Foreign Language Classroom.” Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 4.2. 237–74. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5.
Dewaele, J.-M. and P. MacIntyre. 2022. “Do Flow, Enjoyment and Anxiety Emerge Equally in English Foreign Language Classrooms as in Other Foreign Language Classrooms?” Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada 156–180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1984-6398202218487.
Fredrickson, B. L. 2001. “The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions.” American Psychologist 56.3. 218–26.
Gabryś-Barker, D. (ed.). 2018. Third Age Learners of Foreign Languages. Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters.
Harada, C. N., M. C. N. Love and K. Triebel. 2013. “Normal Cognitive Aging”. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 29.4. 737–52.
Hodges, C., et al. 2020, March 27. The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning. Educase Review. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning.
Horwitz, E. K., M. B. Horwitz and J. Cope. 1986. “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety.” The Modern Language Journal 70.2. 125–32. https://doi.org/10.2307/327317.
Irving, J., S. Davis and A. Collier. 2017. “Aging with Purpose: Systematic Search and Review of Literature Pertaining to Older Adults and Purpose.” International Journal of Aging and Human Development 85.4. 403–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415017702908.
Klímová, B. and M. Pikhart. 2020. “Current Research on the Impact of Foreign Language Learning among Healthy Seniors on Their Cognitive Functions from a Positive Psychology Perspective— A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Psychology 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00765.
Klímová, B., et al. 2021a. “A Comparative Psycholinguistic Study on the Subjective Feelings of Well-Being Outcomes of Foreign Language Learning in Older Adults from the Czech Republic and Poland.” Frontiers in Psychology 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.606083.
Klímová, B., et al. 2021b. “Factor Analysis of Subjective Well-Being Sustainability through Foreign Language Learning in Healthy Older Individuals.” Sustainability 13.3. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031590.
Kruse, I., L. Lutskovskaia and V. V. Stepanova. 2022. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Teaching in Foreign Language Education During COVID-19.” Frontiers in Education 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.964135.
Liang, J. and B. Luo. 2012. “Toward a Discourse Shift in Social Gerontology: From Successful Aging to Harmonious Aging.” Journal of Aging Studies 26.3. 327–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2012.03.001.
MacIntyre, P. and T. Gregersen. 2012. “Emotions that Facilitate Language Learning: The Positive-Broadening Power of the Imagination.” Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 2.2. 193–213. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2012.2.2.4.
MacIntyre, P., T. Gregersen and S. Mercer. 2016. Positive Psychology in SLA. Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783095360.
MacIntyre, P., T. Gregersen and S. Mercer. 2019. “Setting an Agenda for Positive Psychology in SLA: Theory, Practice, and Research.” The Modern Language Journal 103.1. 262–74. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12544.
MacIntyre, P. D. and S. Mercer. 2014. “Introducing Positive Psychology to SLA.” Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 4.2. 153–72. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.2.
Mercer, S., et al. 2018. “Positive Language Education: Combining Positive Education and Language Education.” Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition 4.2. 11–31. Retrieved from https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/TAPSLA/article/view/7011. 30 Jan. 2024.
Murphey, T. 2014. “Teaching to Learn and Well-Become: Many Mini-Renaissances.” In: MacIntyre, P. D., T. Gregersen and S. Mercer (eds.). Positive Psychology in Second Language Acquisition. Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters. 324–43.
Owen, R., K. Berry and L. J. Brown. 2022. “Enhancing Older Adults’ Well-Being and Quality of Life Through Purposeful Activity: A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies.” The Gerontologist. 62.6. 317–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab017.
Pfenninger, S. E., J. Festman and D. Singleton. 2023. Second Language Acquisition and Lifelong Learning. New York: Routledge.
Pfenninger, S. E. and D. Singleton. 2019. “A Critical Review of Research Relating to the Learning, Use and Effects of Additional and Multiple Languages in Later Life.” Language Teaching 52.4. 419–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444819000235.
Pfenninger, S. E. and S. Polz. 2018. “Foreign Language Learning in the Third Age: A Pilot Feasibility Study on Cognitive, Socio-Affective and Linguistic Drivers and Benefits in Relation to Previous Bilingualism of The Learner.” Journal of the European Second Language Association 2.1. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.22599/jesla.36.
Pikhart, M. and B. Klímová. 2020. “Maintaining and Supporting Seniors’ Well-Being through Foreign Language Learning: Psycholinguistics of Second Language Acquisition in Older Age.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17.21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218038.
Pikhart, M., et al. 2023. “A Comparative Analysis of Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning.” Behavioural Sciences 13.262. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13030262.
Pot, A., M. Keijzer and K. de Bot. 2018. “Enhancing Language Awareness in Migrants’ Third Age to Promote Well-Being.” In: Gabryś-Barker, D. (ed.), Third Age Learners of Foreign Languages. Bristol, Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters, 176–200.
Ramírez Gómez, D. 2016. Language Teaching and the Older Adult: The Significance of Experience. Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters.
Resnik, P. and J.-M. Dewaele. 2021. “Learner Emotions, Autonomy, and Trait Emotional Intelligence in ‘In-Person’ versus Emergency Remote English Foreign Language Teaching in Europe.” Applied Linguistics Review 14.3. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0096.
Seligman, M. 2018. “PERMA and the Building Blocks of Well-Being.” The Journal of Positive Psychology 13.4. 333–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1437466.
Seligman, M. and M. Csíkszentmihályi. 2000. “Positive Psychology: An Introduction.” American Psychologist 55.1. 5–14.
Wang, H.-X., et al. 2002. “Late-Life Engagement in Social and Leisure Activities Is Associated with a Decreased Risk of Dementia: A Longitudinal Study from the Kungsholmen Project.” American Journal of Epidemiology 155. 1081–87. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/155.12.1081.
Ware, C., et al. 2017. “Maintaining Cognitive Functioning in Healthy Seniors with a TechnologyBased Foreign Language Program: A Pilot Feasibility Study.” Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 9.42. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00042.
Wu, Y.-H., et al. 2015. “Bridging the Digital Divide in Older Adults: A Study from an Initiative to Inform Older Adults about New Technologies.” Clinical Interventions in Aging 10. 193–200. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S72399.
Wong, P. C. M., et al. 2019. “Language Training Leads to Global Cognitive Improvement in Older Adults: A Preliminary Study.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 62.7. 2411–2424. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-18-0321
Zhong, B.-L., S.-L Chen and Y. Conwell. 2016. “Effects of Transient versus Chronic Loneliness on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Findings from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.” The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 24.5. 389–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2015.12.009.
English
Język Polski
https://doi.org/10.19195/0301-7966.62.1.7
