Abstract:

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence profoundly impact foreign language research and educational practices. To address these challenges and opportunities, this paper argues for a fundamental transition in foreign language education from “an instrumental framing of language pedagogy” to “a holistically empowering language education”. To this end, this paper draws upon the perspective of positive language education to reframe the research paradigm of second language acquisition by proposing the “Resonant Zone of Strengths” conceptual framework. This framework is anchored in the dual goal of fostering learners’ language development alongside their positive characteristics and overall well-being. It posits that empowering factors emerge from the integration of an individual’s inherent strengths, as well as strengths distributed across layered environments (spanning over task, family, classroom, school, community, society, and technology). The alignment and resonance between these empowering factors constitute the core mechanism that fosters a synergetic development of individuals’ language abilities and character. Based on this framework, the paper outlines specific directions for future theoretical and empirical research, proposing research topics that consider both the generalizability of and the immediacy to the proposed framework, to facilitate an iterative transition in the objectives, models, and approaches of foreign language education.

Key words: Resonant Zone of Strengths, positive psychology, positive language education, second language acquisition, individual-environment interaction