Difficulty and coping strategies in language education: Is positive psychology misrepresented in sla/flt?

Abstract

Language education today draws on the developments in the so-called positive psychology to create difficulty-free learning contexts. Teacher training in particular shows signs of looking to the new branch of psychology as a way to eliminate problems and achieve success linked to learners’ engagement and self-regulation. Success in language learning is naively expected to take place only when the student’s attitude is favourable, internal motivation secured and high self-esteem guaranteed. This idealistic approach leads to delegating full responsibility to unprepared learners and informing them that positive feelings are the only path to greater proficiency. The present text arises from a suspicion that the current SLA/FLT approach misrepresents positive psychology by introducing unnecessary simplifications, while positive psychology research has a lot more to offer. The paper goes on to look at what mythology and religion in the past as well as psychology and sociology today tell us about seeking values in obstacles and understanding multiple functions and diverse effects of positive and negative affect. Stages of identifying obstacles and coping with difficulty are then discussed as well as ways of supporting students facing challenges in the process of language learning. Implications for teacher development are then sought in order to enable teachers to contribute to learner growth both in and through education.