Differential Roles of Shame and Guilt in L2 Learning: How Bad Is Bad?

Abstract This article aims to introduce shame and guilt from social psychology into second language acquisition (SLA), to validate their psychometric measurement, and to examine their effects on second language (L2) learners’ motivation and language achievements. In Study 1, the prevalence of shame and guilt reactions in L2 settings was explored. Moreover, the Second Language Test of Shame and Guilt Affect (L2‐TOSGA) was developed and validated to measure L2 learners’ individual differences in terms of proneness to shame and guilt during L2 learning. The results of qualitative and quantitative analyses evidenced the pervasiveness of shame and guilt in an L2 context, and attested to the reliability, stability, and validity of L2‐TOSGA subscales. In Study 2, the effects of learners’ shame and guilt reactions on their motivation and language achievements were probed. The results showed that shame strongly but negatively affected L2 learners’ motivation and language achievements, whereas guilt had positive effects on their motivation and language achievements.