FROM FEAR AND ANXIETY TO MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: THE INTEGRATION OF EMOTIONAL REGULATION IN SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY
Low motivation in English language learning remains a persistent challenge. I explored pre-service language teachers’ perceptions of this problem. I purposively selected eight study participants for a qualitative descriptive study and thematized their perceptions. Consequently, I ascertained that, apart from personal, environmental, and behavioral factors of learning, the affective factor, directly linked to the latter, emerged in the study, thereby modifying the Social Cognitive Theory. School leaders may implement programs that build pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy, goal orientation, and support while reducing fear as a hindrance to motivation, confidence, and resilience in English learning. Future research may examine how these factors predict and mediate motivation in English learning, while developing questionnaires that use the emerging subthemes as indicators.