Region - Educational Research and Reviews

As pivotal yet underexplored determinants of second language learning, learner emotions have gained increasing scholarly attention in China. This study takes the research articles on emotions in second language learning published in authoritative journals from 2000 to 2025 in CNKI as the data source, and uses CiteSpace to conduct a bibliometric analysis to explore the current research status in this research area. Results reveal three dominant strands: the conceptualization and measurement of emotions research showing evolution from anxiety-dominant studies toward foreign language enjoyment and boredom, with validation of emotion scales; emotion-individual difference factors interrelationships demonstrating significant links between learner emotions and motivation, engagement, emotional intelligence, along with emotion-achievement correlations indicating the role of learner emotions on academic performance; pedagogical evidence confirming teacher factors and instructional models modulate emotional experiences. Critical limitations include little focus on positive emotions, overreliance on cross-sectional designs, neglect of discipline-specific contexts beyond university settings, and unidirectional frameworks overlooking teacher-learner emotional reciprocity. Future research should overcome these limitations and conduct extensive research on emotions in second language learning.