The Impact of Hybrid Learning on Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety

This paper presents an investigation of the relationships between foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) among learners (n = 493) in a compulsory communicative English course at a Japanese university, with a focus on the effects of a move to a hybrid learning environment (HLE) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking a mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed and findings compared to those of a similar study conducted on students enrolled in the same course in 2019. Analyses suggest that learners experienced more enjoyment than anxiety in their English classes and that this enjoyment was linked to positive attitudes towards English as well as higher self-reported proficiency relative to peers. In comparison to the pre-pandemic data the emotional responses of learners, in terms of both FLE and FLCA, seem somewhat muted, however not to the extent found in studies conducted on students in a fully online learning environment. This suggests the HLE may have been effective at mitigating the loss of emotional resonance which has been associated with screen mediated learning. Sources of FLE and FLCA reported by learners as well as the pedagogical implications of the study are also discussed.