Abstract
We conducted a longitudinal study in order to improve foreign language students’ social and emotional learning skills through an eclectic approach which is based on the underlying principles of Emotional Intelligence Theory, Cooperative Learning and Neuro-linguistic Programming. We specifically aimed at making our students aware of their own character traits and personal strengths/weaknesses and then, helped them fulfil their mental, emotional and social potentials for better language learning experience. The focus of this paper is on the students’ perceptions of the interventions we made, based on our management plan, to enhance academic, social and emotional learning and its long term effects on students’ motivation for learning English.

Keywords: Affect, social-emotional language learning, motivation, continuous language learning

1. Introduction
Together with the spread of English as an international language, the importance of English education has been widely recognized in countries where English is learned as a foreign language. Turkey, being one of these countries, has a great number of universities that offer programs in which the medium of instruction is in English. In order to equip learners with the skills to cope with the demands of such programs in terms of language proficiency, preparatory language programs are given before students start to study in their departments, as in our case. In the institution in which we work, there is an intensive skills-based language program aimed at developing both linguistic competence and language learning awareness of students.

Our program aims to equip learners with skills to take active roles in planning and executing language learning activities both during the formal instruction program and in further semesters in their departments where they are required to improve English either entirely on their own or with minimal support. However, not all of our learners are able to extend their language learning studies beyond the language program in their preparatory year. Within our context (monolingual society) where English is a content course, where the teacher and the school are perceived as the only sources of foreign language learning, where teachers like to be in the center of the learning process and where learners are teacher-dependent, learners find it difficult to continue their act of learning both in and outside the formal school setting. Often they gradually lose their language skills and forget what they once knew.

2. Literature review
Reilly (1988) states that just as human beings possess a great capacity to acquire language, they also have a capacity for losing it. According to him, language acquisition and maintenance depend on instructional factors, relating to the way in which the language is initially acquired; cultural factors, for example the status and usefulness of the language in a particular society; and personality factors such as the individual characteristics of the speaker. In keeping with Reilly, Thanasoulas (2002) argues that learning a foreign language is different from learning other subjects.

Therefore, language learning should take account of a variety of factors that are likely to promote, or even militate against success.

Second language learning has been described as a cyclical process: strong motivation, positive attitudes, and effective learning effort may result in increased language attainment and the feeling of progress, which may in turn enhance motivation and facilitate further effort (Gan et al, 2004). Therefore, as Dewaele (2005) suggests, second language acquisition needs to account for the psychological and emotional dimensions of second language learning.
In recent research into language learning, affect has been included as a construct. Horwitz (in Woodrow, 2006) for example, argues that affect is a significant predictor of both academic and linguistic success. Similarly, Rossiter (2003) reports differential success in second or foreign language learning as being attributed to individual differences such as intelligence, aptitude, personality, motivation, attitude and anxiety. Bialystok and Fröhlich (1978) identified a variety of factors to account for the variance in the level of proficiency attained by individuals learning a second language and classified these factors into two basic categories: cognitive and affective variables. Affective variables, they say, describe individual characteristics relating to factors such as attitude and motivation (p.327). Ehrman, Leaver and Oxford (2003) also argue that individual differences in second language learning are reflections of affective variables.

These affective factors include motivation, self-efficacy, tolerance of ambiguity, and anxiety (2003, p.319). They further add that a number of other affective factors exist, and yet they are all in some way related to motivation. These include defense mechanisms, internal attitudes, self-esteem, alertness required to act, self-regulation, self-management, beliefs and emotional intelligence. All of these factors play an important role in promoting or preventing learner autonomy (p.322). As acknowledged by many other researchers in the field (Sparks and Ganschow, 1991; Kristmanson, 2000; Finch, 2001; Dörnyei, 2003; Rossiter, 2003; Bernat, 2004), the fact that affective contributions are central to second or foreign language learning implies that there is a need to consider affect in language learning. There is enough evidence for the positive effect of affective factors in second language learning. The question, then, is to identify the specific conditions to enhance affect in second language classrooms, as raised by Rossiter (ibid).

3. Purpose of the study
As the above literature review shows, there is a positive relationship between affect and performance in second language. Being aware of the fact that the affective concerns of our learners play an important role as barriers to their language learning, we incorporated social-emotional learning skills into our existing language syllabus. We specifically aimed at making our students aware of their own character traits and personal strengths/weaknesses and then helped them fulfil their mental, emotional and social potentials for better language learning experience, not only during the formal training at our institution but also in the following years at their departments. To this end, we conducted a longitudinal study in order to improve foreign language students’ social and emotional learning skills through an eclectic approach which is based on the underlying principles of Emotional Intelligence Theory, Cooperative Learning and Neuro-linguistic Programming.

4. Methodology
4.1. Participants
The participants were 26 students enrolled in language preparation program at Cukurova University in Turkey. Their age ranged from 19-24 years. They had been studying English for at least seven years. They all took English lessons during their secondary and high school education. The following table presents detailed information about the participants’ profile.
Table 1

The profile of the participants

Gender	Female	6
	Male	20
Departments	Food Engineering	5
	Textile Engineering	2
	Industrial Engineering	3
	Mechanical Engineering	6
	Computer Engineering	4
	Electronics and Electrical Engineering	2
	Economics	1
	International Relations	1
	Business and Administration	1
	Tourism and Hotel Management	1
Previous language learning experience	10 years	23
	8 years	1
	7 years	2

4.2. Our management plan
There are three guiding conceptions behind our implementation:
1. Emotional Intelligence Theory (EI)
2. Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)
3. Cooperative Language Learning (CLL)
These conceptions form the core mission of our language program; not as the ultimate goals of our teaching but as tools incorporated into the existing language curriculum for more productive language learning experience. In other words, while teaching the language skills we deliberately chose materials focusing on the five areas of EI - self-awareness, self-motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and relationship skills; and the operating principles, core pillars and techniques of NLP for helping the students increase the awareness of their thoughts, feelings and actions, and thus, reshape their patterns to balance these.

We believe that every student has preferred modes of acquiring and processing information, certain beliefs and values towards learning, and past subjective experiences in language learning. This means that each student is unique. Therefore, for effective language learning to be realized and to demonstrate that any learning and change is possible, we need to help our students discover how they create their subjective experience, how their beliefs and values hinder or support language learning and how they create their emotional states accordingly.

Within this framework, before all else, we tried to provide the best possible conditions for effective learning to take place. Graham (2004) argues that students’ desire to pursue language study when it is no longer compulsory is influenced by the degree to which they feel able to meet this challenge. In line with this argument, we aimed to create a learning environment to improve the academic performance of our learners, and reduce the problematic behaviours, beliefs or attitudes hindering successful language learning. Our actions can be classified under four headings:

1. Ensuring the Ecological Conditions
2. Firming the Emotional Ground
3. Building up Effective Communication Skills
4. Redirecting Brain Patterns towards Internal Harmony

The focus of this article is on the students’ perceptions of the interventions we made, based on our management plan to enhance academic, social and emotional learning and its long term effects on students’ language learning motivation. More detailed description of our management plan and the language learning activities conducted were discussed elsewhere (Inozu, Tuyan, & Cakır Surmeli in press; Rodopi, 2004).

4.3. Measurement
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative data sources were used in order to find answers to the following research questions:

1. What do the students think about the importance of personal skills and competences in success in the English courses?
2. How do the students perceive their personal skills required for success at the university courses?
3. How do these skills relate to the desire to continue to study English after the preparatory program?

In order to elicit data for the above questions, two questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire was adapted from Evans and Kersh (2004). In their study, the authors investigated the learning processes of adult learners with particular reference to self-awareness and self-evaluation of their personal competences and skills. They view self-evaluation as a potentially significant part of the learning process in colleges of further education. Their research identifies the positive impact of self-evaluation on so-called ‘soft outcomes’ such as levels of learners’ confidence, increased self-esteem and attitudes to learning. According to the authors, there are five dimensions of key competences for success in college setting.

These are: 1. methodological competences, such as time-management and decision making; 2. social competences, such as ability to work with others and involvement; 3. competences related to attitudes and values, such as confidence, self-responsibility and motivation; 4. learning competences, such as critical thinking and self-learning; and 5. content-related competences, such as subject-matter work. These five dimensions of personal competences are seen as crucial for learning success. The Self-Evaluation Questionnaire was developed by Evans and Kersh from these key competences. We believe that these key competences have also an important place in the context of language learning and motivation for further language study that extends beyond formal instruction. Therefore, by drawing on Evans and Kersh’s study, we asked the participants to comment on the importance of these skills for success at language courses in university education and further studies. The questionnaire was given to the students twice, once at the beginning of the academic year and again at the end. When we first provided the questionnaire, we aimed to assess our learners’ awareness of the importance of personal competences. Then, throughout the academic year, we modified our teaching for an explicit training on these personal competences. Finally, the questionnaire was given for the second time in order to see whether our language program enriched with tasks originating from EI, NLP and CLL had caused any change in our students’ opinions regarding the importance of personal competences.

The second questionnaire was a modified version of the Affective Survey developed by Ehrman and Oxford (1991). It includes statements about intrinsic-extrinsic motivation, desire to learn English, beliefs about self as a language learner, and anxiety. In order to assess the long-term effects of our program on the students’ language learning motivation, we gave the questionnaire two times with a year interval. The first was immediately after the academic year; and the second was a year after. Data analysis for both questionnaires was performed using the SPSS package of statistical program. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the participants’ responses.      

For a more detailed and in-depth analysis of students’ opinions structured interviews were held with the students at the end of the academic year. Each interview lasted 15 to 20 minutes. They were done in a friendly atmosphere in the researchers’ office. The researchers took detailed notes during the interviews. The participants were asked the following questions:

• What skills, knowledge or capabilities did you gain in language education at prep school at Cukurova University?
• How do you evaluate your competence in this course regarding time management, ability to work with others, confidence, motivation, self learning, team work and involvement?
• What did you experience at prep school that you feel happy to have gained for your continued language learning process?

5. Results
5.1. Results of the questionnaire for personal competences
Table 2 below presents the results of the questionnaire in percentages:

Table 2
Importance of skills for success at language courses in university education

As it is seen in Table 2 above, the results show that the majority of the learners participating in our study were aware of the importance of the skills considered. For each of the item included in the questionnaire, more than 70% of the learners (83% in average) pointed out that they consider the skills highlighted in the questionnaire as either ‘very important’ or ‘important’ for success at language courses at the university level. When the same questionnaire was given for the second time at the end of the academic year, which is after 32 weeks, it was found that the students’ opinions did not go through major changes except for the views about time management, planning/organizing, autonomy, discipline and self-learning. In the second application of the questionnaire, an increase in the amount of the learners who consider these skills very important was observed. For example, while the percentage of the learners who found time management a very important factor contributing to success was 40% in the first questionnaire, it increased to 80% in the second application.

That is, at the end of the academic year more students started to think of time management as an important skill to consider for success. Similarly, the number of the students who stated that discipline was an important skill increased in the second application of the questionnaire. Contrary to the 20% of the students in the first questionnaire, more than half (62%) of the participants in the second application reported that discipline was very important for themselves for attaining success at language courses.

Self-learning was another skill that had gained more importance for the students over the course of the year. At the beginning of the academic year, 54% of the learners stated that they perceived self-learning as a very important skill to develop for success. However, this ratio was increased to 81% at the end of the year. This result shows us that our language program incorporating activities for improving our students’ cognitive, metacognitive, social and emotional learning skills was helpful in raising awareness among the learners in terms of the importance of self learning. We believe acknowledging the importance of self-learning for being successful is a sign of readiness for taking active roles in planning and executing language learning activities both during the formal instruction in the prep program and in further semesters in their departments.

Our assumption, that the students are now better equipped with skills to cope with the demands of independent language learning contexts and extend their language studies beyond the formal instruction, is also supported by the increase in the amount of students who found competence to be very important in planning/organizing (from 54% to 77%), managing conflicts (from 20% to 48%) and persistence (from 32% to 46%) over the course of the year. Drawing on these results, it can be said that our language program succeeded in raising awareness in our learners regarding the skills need to be improved for success. The next question then is how successful our language program is in contributing to the students’ personal skills and knowledge. The answer to this question was the issue of discussion in the interviews.
  
5.2. Results of the interviews
In the interviews, as discussed above, the students were asked to reflect upon their views considering the language learning experience during the program with specific reference to our classroom where a modified language program was followed in line with the purpose of this study. First of all, students were asked for skills, knowledge or capabilities they gained during their education at the prep school. The following table displays the results in percentages.

Table 3
The contribution of the language program to personal skills and knowledge