Relationships between Chinese university EFL learners’ academic emotions and self-regulated learning strategies: A structural equation model

Abstract

Emotional research in foreign language learning has bloomed recently, and yet there has been a call for attention to a broader spectrum of emotions experienced by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Whilst emotions and self-regulated learning (SRL) are both believed to play important roles in EFL learning, little is known about their interplay. To fill the void, the study intends to map out an overall status quo of Chinese university EFL students’ academic emotions and SRL strategy use and sophisticated interrelationships between them using structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings showed that the Chinese participants demonstrated a medium level of positive emotions, a low level of anger, a medium level of shame and anxiety, and a low to medium frequency use of SRL strategies in English learning. ANOVA results detected gender differences in SRL strategy use, with females outperforming males in using self-evaluation and persistence strategy types, together with grade level influences in anxiety level with seniors feeling less anxious than juniors and sophomores. Furthermore, SEM results suggested that enjoyment had positive relationships with SRL strategy use; anger and shame had negative relationships while anxiety had ambivalent relationships with SRL strategy use. Important implications are discussed.

On the correlation among the students’ epistemic cognition, academic emotions, and academic achievement in higher education

“…Notably, higher levels of pride, joy, and hope were associated with better academic outcomes. This result is consistent with previous research efforts [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 17 , [29] , [30] , [31] ]. For instance, a longitudinal study carried out in Germany revealed a similar trajectory and indicated that positive emotions had a predictive function in the “learning performance” of German students [ 30 ].…”

“…Previous research has demonstrated a noteworthy negative relationship between various negative emotions (e.g., hopelessness, fear, shame, anger, boredom) and students' academic accomplishments. This discovery aligns with the findings of several earlier studies [ 1 , 3 , 29 ]. Negative emotions, such as hopelessness and boredom, have adverse effects on learning and academic success as they can impede information processing, diminish motivation, and divert students' attention from learning tasks.…”

“…In general, it is expected that positive emotions predict positive consequences in academic contexts, like high grades and good performance on local and large-scale educational evaluations [ 26 , 27 ]. However, we expect negative emotions to be associated with negative consequences such as low grades and impaired performance in the classroom and standard examinations [ 28 , 29 ]. Positive emotions (hope, enjoyment, and pride) serve to enhance the student's curiosity and determination towards the learning process, fostering active participation, stimulating the adoption of innovative learning approaches, and facilitating the demonstration of self-regulated learning.…”

Unraveling the Path to Success: Exploring Self-Regulated Language Learning among Chinese College EFL Learners

“…Previous studies have extensively investigated the effectiveness of SRLL among Chinese college learners (e.g., Shen et al, 2023; Y. Zhang et al, 2016, 2022).…”

“…Self-Regulated Language Learning Among Chinese College EFL Learners Previous studies have extensively investigated the effectiveness of SRLL among Chinese college learners (e.g., Shen et al, 2023;Y. Zhang et al, 2016Y.…”