Do achievement emotions underlie L2 engagement? a mixed-methods multinational study on the role of achievement emotions in multilingual English learners' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement

This mixed-methods multinational study examined how achievement emotions predict the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional engagement of multilingual learners within Chinese, Iranian, and Kuwaiti L2 classrooms. The study also assessed the potential association between participants' achievement emotions and their L2 engagement levels. Additionally, this research focused on the participants' subjective perceptions concerning the role of negative and positive achievement emotions in shaping multilingual learners' L2 engagement. In doing so, a total of 1509 multilingual English learners were purposefully recruited from various educational institutions in China, Iran, and Kuwait. Following that, the quantitative and qualitative data were gleaned via two validated scales and a semi-structured interview, respectively. Correlational analyses uncovered significant associations between achievement emotions and the L2 engagement components. Regression analyses further highlighted the strong role of achievement emotions in predicting multilingual learners' L2 engagement. Surprisingly, measurement invariance testing indicated no significant differences among Chinese, Iranian, and Kuwaiti regression models regarding the predictive power of achievement emotions. Additionally, the findings derived from content analysis illuminated that participants viewed achievement emotions as key factors affecting learners' L2 engagement. The outcomes of this inquiry offer valuable insights for language teachers, policymakers, and curriculum designers aiming to promote multilingual learners' engagement in L2 classrooms.