Boredom and English language conversational topics: an idiodynamic approach

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The study aims to determine the effect of various conversational topics on the dynamics of boredom within and between individuals in second language (L2) learning. It explores the moment-to-moment changes in boredom levels using an idiodynamic method.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The study involved four intermediate-level university students engaging in conversations on four different topics. Participants self-rated their boredom levels after each conversation and participated in follow-up interviews to explain changes in their boredom. The idiodynamic method was applied to capture the dynamic changes in boredom.

Findings: Results indicated that boredom levels fluctuate both within and between individuals based on conversational topics. Factors contributing to these fluctuations included interest in the topic, familiarity with the subject matter, and personal experiences. The study provided insights into how different conversational topics could influence learners' boredom and engagement levels dynamically.

Originality/Value: This research contributes to the understanding of the dynamic nature of boredom in L2 learning by employing an innovative idiodynamic approach. It highlights the importance of topic selection in language teaching and offers practical recommendations for educators to enhance student engagement and reduce boredom in L2 classrooms.

KEYWORDS:

• Boredom
• idiodynamic method
• conversational topics
• CDST
• EFL

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 As space limitations do not permit a full discussion of the collected data, in each case a section of the interview was transcribed as a sample.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Majid Elahi Shirvan

Majid Elahi Shirvan holds a PhD in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Bojnord, Iran. His main research interest is the dynamics of psychological aspects of foreign language learning and teaching. He has published in different leading international journals such as Ecological Psychology, Foreign Language Annals, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Language Teaching Research, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Teaching in Higher Education.

Mojdeh Shahnama

Mojdeh Shahnama holds a Ph.D. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Her research interests are mainly flipped classroom, meta-analysis and ecological research in applied linguistics. She has published in several international journals such as System, Educational Technology Research and Development, and Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning.

Mirosław Pawlak

Mirosław Pawlak is Professor of English in the English Department, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland, and Department of Research on Language and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland. His main areas of interest are form-focused instruction, corrective feedback, pronunciation teaching, classroom interaction, learner autonomy, learning strategies, motivation, willingness to communicate, emotions, in particular boredom, grit and study abroad. His most recent publications include Boredom in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Micro-Perspective (with Joanna Zawodniak and Mariusz Kruk, 2020, Springer), Exploring the Interface Between Individual Difference Variables and the Knowledge of Second language Grammar (2021, Springer Nature), Understanding Emotions in English Language Learning in Virtual Worlds (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), Individual Differences in Computer Assisted Language Learning Research (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), and Teachers Reflecting on Boredom in the Language Classroom (with Mariusz Kruk and Joanna Zawodniak, 2024, Equinox). He is Editor of the journal Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching and the book series Second Language Learning and Teaching, published by Springer.

Mariusz Kruk

Mariusz Kruk is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Zielona Góra, Poland and the Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland. His main areas of interest include individual difference variables and the application of technology in foreign language learning and teaching. His publications have appeared in various journals including Applied Linguistics Review, Computer Assisted Language Learning, ELT Journal, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Language Teaching Research, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching and System. He is the author of the monograph Investigating Dynamic Relationships among Individual Difference Variables in Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Virtual World (2021, Springer). He co-authored Boredom in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Micro-Perspective with Mirosław Pawlak and Joanna Zawodniak (2020, Springer), Understanding Emotions in English Language Learning in Virtual Worlds with Mirosław Pawlak (2022, Routledge), Individual Differences in Computer Assisted Language Learning Research with Mirosław Pawlak (2022, Routledge) and Teachers Reflecting on Boredom in the Language Classroom with Mirosław Pawlak and Joanna Zawodniak (2024, Equinox).