Presentation Connecting VR Immersive Experiences with L2 Narrative Writing Tasks: Emotional Perspectives and Pedagogical Issues more

L2 writing process has been analyzed using cognitive process models of planning, translating, and reviewing (Flower & Hayes, 1981), or through sociocultural lenses as a mediated activity influenced by discursive genre and writer identity (Canagarajah, 2018; Lea & Jones, 2011; Matsuda, 2015). Although research has emphasized the importance of emotions and motivation for L2 learners, the influence of emotional resources on L2 writing remains underexplored. This study examines the effects of emotionally differentiated narrative tasks on linguistic complexity and emotional engagement in L2 writing. 41 intermediate French-as-a-foreign-language (FFL) learners at an Emirati university completed three narrative tasks over three weeks, using memory-based and immersive 2D/3D VR stimuli. Presence (ITC-SOPI) and affect (PANAS) questionnaires were administered. 123 texts (average 200 words) were analyzed with MAXQDA to measure linguistic complexity, sensory density, and emotionality. Results showed the role of emotions in the writing process and performance (Feng & Ng, 2023; Guan et al., 2024), as well as the value of VR-supported L2 writing pedagogy (Makransky & Petersen, 2021). Whereas VR stimuli and stronger emotional involvement encouraged a more personal writing style, high emotional load was associated with reduced coherence and weaker self-regulation. These findings redefine success in VR L2 writing: emotion boosts engagement and voice, yet can impair coherence and self-regulation, requiring calibration and scaffolding.