Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Class: On a Positive Classroom Climate

Abstract

The title of this article comes from Moskowitz’s book (1978) Caring and sharing in the foreign language class, which was one of the first publications demonstrating how positive psychology built on humanistic principles can be effectively used by language instructors in enhancing not only learners’ foreign language development but also their personal and (in particular) affective growth and well-being. One of the factors conducive to this well-being of teachers and learners is classroom climate. This article looks at the role the FL classroom’s climate plays in fostering foreign language learning, personal development and the well-being of teachers and learners. The introductory part begins with a discussion of the concept of classroom climate (atmosphere) and continues with an overview of a selection of studies on (positive) classroom atmosphere. The empirical part reports on a study conducted among pre-service EFL teachers diagnosing their awareness of the indicators of positive classroom climate, their understanding of teacher’s and learners’ contribution to it and the trainees’ perceptions of significance of classroom climate for the well-being of teachers and learners. The implications of the findings demonstrate possible ways of enhancing classroom climate, which could be grounded in positive psychology assumptions about personal well-being. The data collected is based on (auto)biographical narratives of the trainees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)