Language Achievement Research Articles

The mechanism for the positive effect of foreign language peace of mind in the Chinese EFL context: a moderated mediation model based on learners’ individual resources

Abstract Foreign language peace of mind (FLPOM) is conceptualized as a Chinese culture-specific low-arousal positive emotional state of inner peace and harmony. It is used to describe learners’ psychological well-being in the Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) context. This study examines the intermediate mechanism for the positive effect of FLPOM on language achievement by testing learners’ cognitive engagement as a mediator on the relationship between FLPOM and language achievement and competitive psychological climate as a moderator of the mediation effect. Foreign language enjoyment (FLE), a comparatively high-arousal positive emotion, is also tested in the same model for comparison purposes. Results showed that cognitive engagement mediated the relationship between both FLPOM and FLE and language achievement and that competitive psychological climate negatively moderated (i.e., weakened) the mediation effect of cognitive engagement on FLE and achievement, but did not moderate the mediation effect of cognitive engagement on FLPOM and achievement. The findings point to the role of FLPOM in gaining learners’ individual resources (e.g., cognitive engagement) and, more importantly, the distinctive role of the low-arousal emotion of FLPOM in lowering resource loss and maintaining learner engagement in high resource loss (e.g., high competitiveness, high stress) circumstances.

Examining Sino-Foreign Joint School Students’ Speaking Performance in the EFL Learning Environment: A case study

This study aimed to examine Sino-Foreign Joint School (SFJS) students’ speaking performance in the EFL learning environment and explore the relationship among anxiety, motivation, willingness to communicate (WTC) and English language performance of EFL students. The study adopted an explanatory sequential research design with a mixed method approach wherein data were collected via a survey and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that EFL students in SFJS were rather anxious when it came to speaking in English and but they possessed higher integrated motivation. The structural equation modelling analysis revealed SPCC (Self-Perceived Communication Competence) mediated WTC to their language achievement.

A latent profile analysis of Chinese high school students’ control and value appraisals: Associations with enjoyment, boredom, and language achievement

The present study adopted latent profile analysis (LPA) to explore profiles of students' control and value appraisals in the foreign language learning context among 999 Chinese high school students. After administering the LPA, differences in control appraisals, value appraisals, enjoyment, boredom, perceived language achievement, and actual language achievement were compared. LPA generated three profiles of students' control and value appraisals, i.e., high control and high value, moderate control and moderate value, and moderate control but low value. The results of ANOVAs revealed that the three profiles showed significant differences in control appraisals, intrinsic value appraisals, extrinsic value appraisals, enjoyment, boredom, perceived language achievement, and actual language achievement. The findings of the present study offer valuable insights into the subgroups of students’ control and value appraisals and have significant implications for emotional research and educational intervention in the foreign language learning context.

Teachers’ Motivation as a Correlate to Secondary School Students’ Achievement in English Language in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria

The study was on Teachers’ motivation as a correlate to secondary school students’ achievement in English language in Nsukka education zone Enugu State, Nigeria. The study sought to find out how teacher’s motivation correlates with student’s academic achievement in English Language in secondary schools in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Four specific purposes were formulated to guide the study. Four research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the conduct of the study. The design of the study was correlational research design and the population of the study was one hundred and twenty-twoo (122) English language teachers and one hundred and twenty-four (124) SS II students in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was Teachers’ Motivation Rating Scale (TMRS) for English language teachers and English Language Achievement Test (ELAT) for the students. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination (r2) for all the research questions and t-cal and t-cri (sig t) were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that: teachers’ condition of service, provision of incentives to teachers, provision of adequate instructional materials for teaching and school leadership all had a very high relationship/correlation with students’ academic achievement in English language, and there were no significant relationship between teachers’ condition of service, provision of incentives for teachers, provision of adequate instructional materials for teaching and school leadership and students’ academic achievement in English language. Based on these findings, the researcher made some recommendations.

The Influence of Online Liberal Arts English on College Students’ Intercultural Interest

The goal of the current study is to determine whether online liberal arts English classes can improve students' cultural awareness and interest. The online English learning environment has drawn a lot of attention from EFL educators as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. There are several factors that have an impact on the culture aspects of EFL learning. Yet, there is scant research showing how certain features of culture learning can be effectively applied in the Korean EFL context. This study investigates the links between English language proficiency, pre-interest, and interactions with instructors to determine whether aspects of online liberal arts English classes have a favorable impact on students' interest in foreign cultures. Participants came from 84 Listening, Reading, Speaking I and II classes, totaling 1,421. With the use of Microsoft Teams, the classes were delivered online for 15 weeks. After that, a survey was used to measure students’ pre-interest in English language learning, language achievement, interactions with professors, and cultural understanding. The results of that survey—which used the Naver Office Form—were evaluated using SPSS version 26 to examine any relevant statistics. The findings identified three factors that contribute to students' cultural understanding and interest in online liberal arts English classes. Among these factors, interactions with instructors had the most significant impact, followed by pre-interest and language proficiency. The data suggests that interactions with professors during online EFL classes play a more critical role in promoting students' understanding and interest in other cultures than factors such as English language achievement and pre-interest in English. The effect was particularly pronounced in speaking I and II classes. Therefore, it is crucial for educators to utilize various methods and technologies to encourage interactions between students and professors in online EFL classes. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by analyzing the specific factors that influence students' cultural understanding and interest and highlighting the critical role of interactions with professors in online liberal arts English classes.

Self and Its Actualization: Panoramic Validity

Objective: The validity of Quranic Orientation Scale (QOS) developed by Khodadady and Dastgahian [1] was explored. They extracted its underlying factors through Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) and rotated them via Promax with Kaiser Normalization (PKN). This study, however, rotated the extracted factors via Varimax with Kaiser Normalization (VKN) to find out 1) which rotational method determines the invariance in the factors extracted from the QOS and 2) which factors rotated with these methods associate positively with English language achievement (ELA). Method: The responses of 1123 grade 4 senior high school students (G4SHSSs) who took the QOS were subjected to PAF and VKN. The extracted and rotated factors were then correlated with the students’ scores on a test measuring their ELA. To standardize the method the word “self” was operationalized by resorting to divine religion and schema theory. Results: VKN is superior to PKN for several reasons. First, it shows QOS enjoys not only factorial but also divine, empirical and theoretical validity. Secondly, the invariance in the QOS items lies in its first factor. Thirdly; the first factor rotated by VKN is broader than that of the PKN in its constituting items. And finally, the first factor rotated by VKN explains G4SHSSs’ self-actualization better than the QOS because its positive association with the ELA is stronger than those of the QOS and PKN. Conclusion: Self is an 11-taxon schema through which G4SHSSs resort not only to God but also to other sapiens to actualize it.

The effects of parental involvement on children’s education

The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Education has begun to emphasize the importance of parental involvement and community participation in children’s education. However, there is a lack of research on parental involvement in Indonesia. The aim of the study is to provide insights into parental involvement in children’s education in urban and rural areas in Java, Indonesia. The sample comprised 2151 second to sixth graders in 18 schools in three regions, DKI Jakarta, West Java, and East Java. Six aspects of parental involvement were measured using an adapted version of Epstein’s parental involvement framework. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the effects of the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and different types of parental involvement on children’s academic achievements as measured by the most recent Indonesian language and Mathematics grades. The finding shows that Indonesian parents are more strongly involved in their children’s learning at home than at school. Parents show higher levels of involvement when mothers had higher levels of education, in particular with respect to parenting, communicating, volunteering, and learning at home. With regards to school settings, parents in urban schools show higher levels of involvement than parents in rural schools. In urban schools, highly educated parents were more involved in volunteering, decision making and collaborating with community than low educated parents. In contrast to urban schools, in the rural school setting, parents with low education show higher involvement than their highly educated counterparts. Volunteering and learning at home have small positive effects on students’ mathematics achievement. Parenting and learning at home show small positive effects on students’ Indonesian language achievement.

The role of enjoyment and boredom in shaping English language achievement among ethnic minority learners

ABSTRACT Progress in the field of positive psychology has stimulated an increasing body of work that examines the role of various emotions and their influence on English learning attainment in the second and foreign language (L2/FL) learning context. The present study contributes to this new wave of research by investigating the complex relationship between two emotions, foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language learning boredom (FLLB), and English language achievement (ELA), and how L2 learners’ demographic factors affect learners’ FLE, FLLB, and ELA in a less-featured context of ethnic minority learners in China. Employing the pearson correlations analysis, t-test, and regression analysis, the current study analyzed the responses of 783 middle and high school students from western China. The results indicate that FLE and FLLB co-exist as twins with adverse natures regarding students’ language learning, with a high level of FLE and a low level of FLLB. Furthermore, that gender and educational background influence learners’ emotional perception and ELA. In addition, FLE significantly and negatively correlates with FLLB, and FLE and FLLB influence students’ ELA. However, of the two, FLE has the more substantial predictive power. Pedagogical implications are suggested to support learners’ achievements from a positive psychology perspective.

The merit of grit and emotions in L2 Chinese online language achievement: a case of Arabian students

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has provided second language (L2) learners with additional challenges regarding how to obtain an enjoyable experience while achieving a better learning attainment. Despite a growing body of studies that substantiated the predictive effect of grit, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLA) on Chinese language achievement (CLA), no previous research has explored their predictive effects in online L2 Chinese learning. To address this gap, this study clarifies the nature of the complex correlation between grit, FLE, FLA, and online CLA by analyzing 169 responses from Arabic multilingual learners using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that: (i) FLE, not FLA, significantly predicts online L2 CLA; (ii) FLE acts as a positive mediator between grit and online L2 CLA; and (iii) FLE has a stronger impact in catalyzing an individual’s online L2 success. This study enriches the applicability of the broaden-and-build and control-and-value theories in the field of Chinese language learning. We hope that this study will serve as a call for further attention to emotions and grit, especially for languages other than English, in order to advance the growth of positive psychology in L2 learning and teaching.

Executive functions and classroom behaviour in second graders

BackgroundExecutive functions along with on-task behaviour in the classroom relate to academic success. Examining the shared and non-shared variances in their relationships with academic achievement may lead to a better understanding of the contribution of executive functions to achievement and may uncover a mechanism to explain why they are so important for school success. Specifically, we investigated the extent to which executive functions and classroom behaviour offer different and similar perspectives on children’s self-regulatory behaviour, and make unique contributions to academic achievement.MethodData were collected from 129 2nd grade students (M age = 7.93 years, SD = 0.5; 44.2% female). Participants were observed for 25 min during a ‘business-as-usual’ classroom lesson, following a momentary assessment protocol; we developed and used an openly available mobile application. Subsequently, participants completed an executive function task (Hearts and Flowers) in small groups on tablet computers. Teachers rated students’ academic achievement in language and mathematics.ResultsWe found unique contributions for on-task behaviour and executive functions to academic achievement in 2nd grade. Moreover, we found that 27–31% of the total effect of inhibition on language achievement was mediated through on-task behaviour.ConclusionWe have shown that executive functions and on-task behaviour share variance in their relationship to academic achievement, as well as providing a unique perspective on children’s self-regulatory behaviour. Thus, researchers might want consider the inclusion of both executive function tasks and ecologically valid measures such as the current, easy to apply behavioural observation in a naturalistic setting in their future work.

Language Intervention Instead of Speech Intervention for Children With Cochlear Implants.

Cochlear implants are a standard rehabilitation option for children with severe hearing loss or deafness, allowing access to speech sounds necessary for the development of spoken language. However, the speech-language outcomes of pediatric cochlear implant users vary widely and are not directly or exclusively linked to technology but to combinations of individual audiological, personal, technical, and habilitational factors. These combinations may not favor spoken language development, which may further be linked to the issue of prior insistence on spoken language learning and associated with a high risk of language deprivation. Here, we discuss the outcomes of cochlear implantation from a habilitative perspective and lay down the efforts and resources necessary for the development of communication competence after cochlear implantation rather than the achievement of specific hearing, language, or speech skills that have limited socioemotional and educational contributions and do not guarantee an independent or productive life.

Advancing learning-oriented assessment (LOA): mapping the role of self-assessment, academic resilience, academic motivation in students’ test-taking skills, and test anxiety management in Telegram-assisted-language learning

Some impediments in language learning may have a detrimental impact on learners’ actual performance on the test and lead to anxiety and demotivation. Language achievement is influenced by self-assessment (SA), academic resilience (AR), academic motivation (AM), and test-taking skills (T-TS) among other factors. Considering the relevance of these factors in language achievement, the current investigation aims to delve into the probable interactions of SA, AR, AM, T-TS, and test anxiety (TA) management among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A model was devised and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to achieve this objective. This research collected 512 by distributing online questionnaires to fifteen approved private institutions which applied Telegram-based language learning. The study findings reflected that SA, AR, and AM could predict EFL learners’ T-TS. It was also confirmed that SA, AR, and AM modulated EFL learners’ TA. The implications of the study are presented and accompanied by some future research proposals as well as instructional consequences.

Academic Procrastination among Indonesian University Learners: Interaction with Cheating, Absenteeism, and L2 Achievement

Background. Many studies suggested that academic procrastination is particularly prevalent among learners at university level. However, empirical data on the interactions between academic procrastination and, respectively, learners’ attitudes towards cheating (AtC), absenteeism, and learning achievement, are either generally inconclusive or non-existent, especially in English as Foreign Language (EFL) literature. Thus, it is worthwhile to conduct a study to examine these issues in the Indonesian EFL context, home to one of the largest communities of EFL learners in the world.
 Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate academic procrastination of Indonesian EFL learners at university level and the interactions of these learners’ procrastination with AtC, absenteeism, and second/foreign language (L2) achievement.
 Method. The study used an online survey method and 164 learners from non-English departments participated in this study.
 Results. On the basis of descriptive statistics, it was found that the participants reported a moderate level of procrastination in English class. Furthermore, this study found that learners' procrastination significantly and positively correlated with their AtC and absenteeism. This indicated that the more learners procrastinated, the higher their approval of cheating behaviour, and the more likely they were to be absent in English classes. The predictive power of learner procrastination was 16.4% on AtC, and at 8.3% on absenteeism. Moreover, the study also found a significant, negative, and moderate relationship between learner procrastination and their L2 achievement with learners' procrastination being able to predict 16.5% of the total variance in L2 achievement.
 Conclusion. Teachers are suggested to promote project-based tasks in groups where the step-by-step progress of learners is continually monitored, feedback given, and rewarded. This could discourage procrastination, absenteeism, as well as cheating behaviours, and potentially promote more optimal L2 achievement.

Language Learning Strategies from the Perspective of Learning Context

Learning context, as an important influence on language learning strategy (LLS), has received more attention in recent years. For the purpose of better strategy choices in different learning contexts and language achievements, this study investigated LLS from the perspective of learning context. Participants were 44 doctoral students recruited in ESL learning context (the US) and EFL learning context (China). Data were gathered through a mixed-methods research design with the use of the Language Strategy Use Inventory (LSUI). The results showed that the participants in both learning contexts reported to use similar LLSs in terms of listening, speaking, reading and writing. However, some strategies were used significantly more often in one learning context than the other (e.g., Imitate the way native speakers talk was used more often in ESL context; Switch back to my own language momentarily if I know that the person I’m talking to can understand what is being said is used more often in EFL context). The results also showed that a diversity of additional LLSs were differently used in each learning context. The findings revealed that learning contexts have influence on strategy choice. Furthermore, insights for future LLS research in contexts were offered.

Relationship between Arabic Reading Skills (ARS) and Arabic Verbal Expression (AVE) as predictors for undergraduate students’ Arabic language achievement

This study investigated the relationship between Arabic reading skills (ARS) and Arabic verbal expression (AVE) for third-year students of a tertiary institution in Malaysia. The study employed a descriptive approach, using a set of questionnaires, with a random sample of n=42. The descriptive findings yielded a high level of students’ (ARS) as well as (AVE). The correlational analyses yielded a significant relationship between (ARS) and (AVE) levels for the population at (r, Sig. 2, n= 42). An (r) (H0) was rejected. An (r) (Ha) suggested that the more the engagement in (ARS) the better the levels of achievements in (AVE).

Revalidation of the L2-Grit scale: A conceptual replication of Teimouri, Y., Plonsky, L., & Tabandeh, F. (2022). L2 grit: Passion and perseverance for second-language learning

AbstractThis study is a conceptual replication of Teimouri et al.'s (2022) investigation into the validity of the second language (L2) grit scale (the L2-Grit scale). There are several concerns about the generalizability of the findings of Teimouri et al. (2022), especially regarding the discriminant validity of the scale and the relation of L2 grit with language achievements. A conceptual replication study was conducted because these concerns could be addressed by using a different methodology. The main findings include: (a) the factor structure of L2 grit was supported in the replication sample (106 English majors at a Japanese university), (b) the results support the discriminant validity of L2 grit, but in a different way from the initial study, and (c) L2 grit was a consistent predictor of L2-specific Grade Point Average and standardized test score. The results obtained lend further support for the validity of the L2-Grit scale.

A Study of the Relationship between Foreign Language Anxiety and Motivation of English Language learners at intermediate level in Pakistan

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is the unpleasant emotional response to learning a second language, whereas motivation is the fundamental urge to initiate foreign language study and the subsequent impetus to maintain the learning of language. Motivation and anxiety (though studied separately as well by researchers) have yielded groundbreaking results in this study. The researcher works to find the relationship between anxiety and motivation. The investigation employs a quantitative methodology and questionnaires. In order to accomplish this aim, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and the Language Learning Orientations Scale (LLOS) were administered to 318 participants of intermediate-level from Kohat's public colleges. For analysis, the data were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Correlation Analysis (CA), and Regression Analysis (RA) utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). As per the findings of the study, various forms of FL motivation are substantially associated with subscales of FL anxiety. In other words, students with various English learning motivations experience varying levels and types of anxiety. We discover a strong yet negative association between motivation and anxiety in this study. In addition, the study demonstrates that intrinsic motivation and amotivation have a greater relationship with anxiety and producing apprehension in language learners; therefore, motivating language learners by fostering their intrinsic motivation is likely to reduce their anxiety regarding English language learning. Teachers should utilize approaches that enhance pupils' intrinsic motivation. Anxiety was negatively associated with language accomplishment; consequently, in order to boost students' English language achievement, language tutors and students must take steps for decreasing FL anxiety. Teachers can reduce the anxiety of language learners by instructing them in learning processes, establishing goals that are neither too simple nor too tough, and employing anxiety-reduction approaches.

Academic Motivation as a Correlate of Academic Achievement in English Language among Senior Secondary School Students in ORLU Education Zone of Imo State

This study investigated academic motivation as a correlate of academic achievement in English language among senior secondary school students in Imo State. The study was directed by three research questions, and three null hypotheses were evaluated at a significance level of 0.05. The correlational research design was used in this study. The area of the study is Orlu Education Zone of Imo State Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of all the 1,569 senior secondary year two (SS2) students in the 156 public secondary schools in Orlu Education Zone of Imo State. The whole population size of 1,569 was used as the sample size because it was considered manageable by the researcher. The students’ academic motivation questionnaire (SAMQ) was adapted from ‘Students’ Motivation towards Science Learning (SMTSL) Questionnaire’ which was a 20-item questionnaire. The academic achievement test was measured by English Language examination scores derived from SS 2 English Language students’ termly results for 2021/20222 academic session. The Students' Academic Motivation Questionnaire was an adapted tool, therefore it underwent face validation by professionals. Cronbach Alpha Method was used to determine the internal consistency of SAMQ and a co-efficient of 0.77 was obtained. Frequency counts, percentages and Pearson Product Moment was used to answer the research questions while correlated samples t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 alpha level. The results showed that there is very weak negative and significant association between secondary school students’ academic motivation and their academic achievement in English language. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst others that since academic motivation did not influence secondary school students’ academic achievement; it is recommended that teachers/parents should find other means of boosting students or their wards’ desire to learn so as to achieve higher academically.

Relationship between Perceived Teacher Support and Learning Engagement in EFL Context: The Mediating Role of Achievement Emotions

The facilitative effect of teacher support on students’ consequential learning outcomes has been validated across student populations at all levels. However, few studies have explored the mediating mechanisms between teacher support and learning engagement, especially in English as a foreign language (EFL). The present study seeks to explore whether achievement emotions mediated the relationship between teacher support and learning engagement in learning EFL. Data were collected from 527 Chinese secondary EFL learners in Grades 7 and 8 through convenience sampling. Results of structural equation modelling (SEM) and mediation analysis showed that perceived teacher support was significantly associated with foreign language (FL) achievement emotions. FL achievement emotions, in turn, predicted learning engagement. These findings add to the evidence base for the beneficial effect of teacher support on EFL learners’ learning engagement. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed

Does the Schema of Top Peer Pressure and Its Relationship with Achievement Change from Junior High School to University?

This study aimed to find out what cognitive taxa constitute the schema of Top Peer Pressure (TPP) among Junior High School Students (JHSSs), which taxa associated with the JHSSs’ English and school achievement and whether JHSSs’ taxa differ from those of Undergraduate University Students (UUSs). To this end the TPPS was administered to 304 HSSs and their responses were subjected to Principal Axis Factoring and Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. The results showed that six factors representing JHSSs’ cognitive taxa of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family and genus underlie the TPPS. Among them, the taxon of the kingdom was associated significantly with both English language and school achievement, while only the taxon of the family was associated significantly with English language achievement. Contrastive analysis of JHSSs’ cognitive taxa with those of UUSs showed that the UUSs pathologically manipulate the items comprising the schema of TPP not only at its kingdom taxon but also at the taxa of phylum, class and order to justify their low university achievement. The results are discussed and suggestions are made for future research.