Self-regulated learning (SRL), a construct rooted in educational psychology, supports second language (L2) learners in achieving success in language acquisition. During L2 speaking tasks, learners encounter communication challenges that can impact their affective states, particularly self-efficacy and anxiety. In such situations, SRL strategies and affect are interlinked; learners attempt to reduce anxiety and maintain self-efficacy. However, little research has examined how affect and SRL strategies interact on moment-to-moment timescales. To understand dynamic links between affect and SRL in L2 performance, the study explored how self-efficacy and anxiety fluctuate during the L2 speaking task and how learners cope using SRL strategies, with particular attention to emotional and motivational regulation.
Fifteen Japanese students completed a structured monologue speaking task individually. The task consisted of ten prompts and lasted 10-15 minutes. Using the idiodynamic method, the task was recorded, and learners rated their anxiety and self-efficacy on a scale from -5 to +5 while watching the video. Subsequently, stimulated recall interviews were conducted, and emotional and strategic experiences were elicited by reviewing rating patterns. Numerical data were analyzed with Pearson's correlations and change-point analyses, while interview data were examined through thematic analysis.
Results showed moderate to strong within-participant correlations between self-efficacy and anxiety, though some participants showed positive correlations. Patterns varied by topic; higher anxiety was observed with abstract and complex issues. SRL strategies were used reactively to alleviate intense anxiety rather than proactively to sustain self-efficacy, and these responses were sometimes counterproductive.
These findings contribute to the understanding of emotional and motivational regulation in dynamic language performance contexts and suggest pedagogical interventions, such as topic sequencing and collaborative tasks. Future research should investigate the interplay of task modes, including paired and group work, which may lower anxiety and enhance self-efficacy through co-regulation and socially-shared regulation.