How do English Proficiency and learning motivation shape EFL students’ emotions toward written corrective feedback?

Although individual differences among learners are thought to influence their emotional reactions to written corrective feedback (WCF), empirical evidence on this subject is limited. Based on the control-value theory (CVT), this study used a quantitative approach to explore the effects of two individual differences, English proficiency and English learning motivation, on EFL students' emotional responses (5 positive emotions and 3 negative emotions) toward teachers' written corrective feedback. The results indicated that English proficiency had a limited impact on the eight emotional responses to WCF, whereas English learning motivation played a crucial role. Highly motivated students experienced both positive and negative emotions more intensely than lowly motivated students. It was also observed that instrumental motivation had a stronger association with students’ emotional responses toward WCF compared with integrative motivation. The findings in this study partly differ from CVT reasoning and existing literature on L2 learning emotions, which draws attention to the distinctive features of WCF and calls for more research efforts on academic emotions in WCF situations.