The use of language learning platforms as a tool for socialisation and emotional support of students

Abstract

This paper examines the capacity of digital language learning platforms to function as instruments of socialisation and emotional support for university students, with particular reference to contexts of educational disruption. Drawing on recent empirical research, it argues that platform-embedded features – such as peer interaction modules, community forums, and instructor feedback mechanisms – are associated with reduced foreign language anxiety, enhanced self-efficacy, and a heightened sense of belonging among learners. Special attention is given to the Ukrainian educational context, conditions of ongoing armed conflict have intensified students" need for socially and emotionally sustaining learning environments. The paper further identifies key implications for platform design, instructor training, and institutional policy. It concludes that treating language learning platforms as affective social environments, rather than purely linguistic tools, represents both a theoretical advance and a practical imperative in contemporary language education.