Multimodality in language education: implications of a multimodal affective perspective in foreign language teaching

Foreign language learners often encounter various emotional challenges within academic environments, which can hinder their progress in developing literacy skills. Effective language instruction should encompass teaching approaches that acknowledge the emotional requirements of students. To address this need, we propose a multimodal affective methodology designed to evaluate emotions in foreign language education scenarios. This methodology also holds the potential to elucidate the pedagogic contributions of various emotional variables to academic outcomes. Our study focuses on German as a foreign language (GFL) learning and utilizes it as an example to investigate ways to improve writing proficiency. The study explores the effects of integrating multimodal corrective feedback (MCF) into academic writing exercises. We delve into suitable modalities for analyzing emotions in academic writing practices. Furthermore, we investigate how the choice of corrective feedback mode intricately influences the nature of feedback itself and subsequently influences students’ emotional responses. Through a comprehensive exploration of the interplay between distinct modes of delivering feedback and their impacts on learners’ engagement, this investigation strives to decode the intricate dynamics of emotions that underlie language acquisition. With these insights, the study discusses how teachers can enhance their teaching strategies by combining changes in learners’ emotional states and providing emotional support.