Affect in a self-regulatory framework for language learning Jennifer Bown a, * , Cynthia J. White b,1 a Dept. of Germanic & Slavic Languages, Brigham Young University, 3095 JFSB, Provo, UT 84602, USA b School of Language Studies, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand Received 30 October 2009; revised 18 March 2010; accepted 23 March 2010 Abstract In spite of the acknowledged importance of emotion in language learning and teaching, the field of applied linguistics has struggled to account for the role of affect in these processes. This article examines the way affect has been defined and investigated in language learning, including the nature and scope of that research and the gaps and limitations of research approaches to date. Drawing on social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2002; Martinez-Pons, 2002), and research on the intelligent processing of emotions (Goetz et al., 2005), we propose an approach to understanding affect in SLA through a self-regulatory framework. Case studies of three students learning Russian through independent study are presented to illustrate how integral the regulation of affect was to their learning experiences and choices. Regulation of affect involved cognitive appraisals of emotional antecedents and the applying of cognitive abilities to perceive, reflect on, and regulate emotions. We conclude by arguing the need for more attention to and a broader perspective on students’ affective experiences in the process of second language acquisition. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Affect; Self-regulation; Emotion 1. Introduction Affect is a central aspect of human mental and social life, yet it remains relatively unchartered territory in the broader landscape of language learning. Certainly research attention has focused predominantly on cognitive rather than affective pathways in language learning, or on the interplay between the two. That said, the importance of affect has been recognized across a number of research streams including the influence of affective variables on language learning (see Gardner et al., 1997 for a review), and more especially in the ongoing investigation of anxiety in language acquisition (Dewaele et al., 2008 offer a thorough overview of the literature). Recent investigation of affect has broken new ground in exploring the place of the experience and expression of emotion in multilingualism (see Pavlenko, 2005, 2006), and in placing emotion on a footing equal to that of cognition (Bown and White, in press). A renewed focus on emotion in instructed language learning has also highlighted the value of longitudinal perspectives (Hurd, 2007, 2009), as well as the epistemological and methodological challenges associated with such * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 801 422 3207; fax: þ1 801 422 0268. E-mail addresses: jennifer_bown@byu.edu (J. Bown), c.j.white@massey.ac.nz (C.J. White). 1 Tel.: þ64 6 356 9099x7711; fax: þ64 6 350 2271. 0346-251X/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.system.2010.03.016 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com System 38 (2010) 432e443 www.elsevier.com/locate/system