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Abstract
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Second language (L2) motivation research has shifted from static trait-like constructs toward dynamic, process-oriented perspectives emphasizing complexity, emotions, and sustained engagement (Dörnyei et al., 2015; Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008). Within this evolving paradigm, Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs)—intense, long-term motivational surges driving learners toward clearly defined goals—have emerged as a powerful explanatory framework for sustained language learning effort (Dörnyei et al., 2016; Henry et al., 2015). Parallel to this development, positive psychology in SLA has foregrounded learners’ emotional experiences, particularly Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), as a key facilitator of engagement, resilience, and achievement (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014; Mercer & MacIntyre, 2014). Substantial empirical evidence demonstrates that enjoyment enhances motivation, persistence, classroom participation, and learning outcomes (Botes et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2020). Although DMCs are characterized by heightened positive affect, flow-like engagement, and emotional energy (Ibrahim, 2016a; Muir, 2016), little empirical research has explicitly examined FLE as a psychological antecedent or predictor of DMCs. Existing studies primarily focus on triggers such as goal vision, group projects, feedback, and pedagogical interventions (Ibrahim & Al-Hoorie, 2019; Zarrinabadi & Soleimani, 2022), while emotional drivers remain underexplored. In the Iraqi EFL context, research has largely concentrated on general motivation and attitudes toward English learning (Abdualhussein et al., 2024), with virtually no work addressing positive emotions or motivational dynamics. This creates a significant theoretical and contextual gap regarding how enjoyment may energize sustained motivational pathways among Iraqi learners. Despite strong theoretical links between positive emotions and sustained motivation, no empirical studies—particularly in Iraq—have systematically investigated whet
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