Positive emotions, self-regulatory capacity, and EFL performance in the Chinese senior high school context.

Publisher: North Holland Publishing Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0370366 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-6297 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00016918 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Acta Psychol (Amst) Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Amsterdam : North Holland Publishing
Original Publication: The Hague.

Schools* ; Emotions*; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pleasure ; Happiness ; Language

Previous research on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning has predominantly focused on negative emotions such as anxiety and boredom, neglecting positive emotions. Self-regulation, a cognitive factor, has emerged as a key construct of positive psychology in recent years. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which positive emotions influence EFL performance, especially through cognitive factors. Given the high-stakes nature of Chinese college entrance examination and Chinese culture's value on effort, Chinese senior high school students may experience distinct EFL emotions. Therefore, this study, based on the control-value theory (CVT), explored the potential mediating role of self-regulatory capacity (boredom, awareness, goal, and emotion controls) in the relationship between the three focal positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, and pride) and EFL performance among Chinese senior high school students. A paper-and-pencil questionnaire survey was administered to 330 Chinese third-year senior high school students (male: n = 159; female: n = 171). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis with SPSS 26 and PROCESS V3.3. The results indicated that the students reported low levels of enjoyment and pride, moderate levels of hope, low levels of awareness, goal, and emotion controls, and moderate levels of boredom control. The results also revealed significant and large associations among the three positive emotions, the four components of self-regulatory capacity, and EFL performance. Furthermore, the results suggested that self-regulatory capacity partially mediated the effect of positive emotions on EFL performance, supporting the CVT framework. The study concluded with implications for educators and suggestions for future research.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Keywords: Chinese senior high school students; EFL performance; Mediation analysis; Positive emotions; Self-regulatory capacity

Date Created: 20240117 Date Completed: 20240219 Latest Revision: 20240219

20240219

10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104143

38232509