This book provides a vivid and comprehensive picture of loving pedagogy in second language (L2) education. It focuses on the theoretical and empirical foundations of loving pedagogy to set the ground for researching its ecological systems and measurement. Foreword, written by Elisabeth Vanderheiden, introduces pedagogical love as a transformative approach in education during times of global crises and neoliberal shifts. It frames pedagogical love not merely as relational warmth but as an ethical stance and political project that challenges technocratic educational paradigms. The first chapter outlines the background, significance, purpose, and critical rationale for an empirical study to which the whole book is dedicated. The second chapter deals with the theoretical underpinnings of this study, especially affective pedagogy, positive psychology, existential positive psychology, rhetorical/relational goal theory, broaden-and-build theory, PERMA model, and attachment theory, followed by a comprehensive review of related empirical studies. The third chapter presents the design and methodology of the study, while chapter four presents and discusses quantitative and qualitative outcomes. Chapter five explains the conclusions drawn from the results and presents pedagogical implications and directions for future research in the field of SLA.  Afterword, written by Satu Uusiautti, considers loving pedagogy the foundation of positive education in the future. This book is intended for scholars and researchers in the field of second language acquisition and pedagogy, and more generally, those in applied linguistics and positive psychology.

Ali Derakhshan is  Professor of Applied Linguistics at the English Language and Literature Department, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran. He has been a member of the Iranian Elites Foundation since 2015. He is currently a Yunshan Chair Professor at the School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), Guangzhou, China. As authenticated by the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) Database, Clarivate Analytics shows his name among the world’s top 1% of scientists in 2024. His name appeared in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% of the most influential scientists in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He has published in accredited top-tier international journals, including Computers and Education, Review of Educational Research, Computers in Human Behavior, Language Learning & Technology, Education and Information Technologies, Applied Linguistics, Language Teaching Research, System, Assessing Writing, Applied Linguistics Review, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, ELT Journal, English for Specific Purposes, Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Thinking Skills and Creativity, Current Psychology, Asia Pacific Education Researcher, European Journal of Education, Educational Studies, Pragmatics and Society, Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Porta Linguarum, Learning and Motivation, etc. His monograph, The“5Cs” positive teacher interpersonal behaviors: Implications for learner empowerment and learning in an L2 context, was published by Springer in 2022. His co-authored book Instructed second language pragmatics for the speech acts of request, apology, and refusal: A meta-analysis was published by Springer in 2023. His research interests are educational psychology, technology in language education, teacher education, learner individual differences, and cross-cultural interpersonal factors in language education.