The dimensions of foreign language classroom enjoyment and their effect on foreign language achievement
Abstract
This paper reports a study that investigated the dimensions underneath the construct of foreign language classroom enjoyment and explored the pattern in which these enjoyment dimensions affect foreign language achievement. To this end, 320 first language Chinese senior high school students, who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL), were invited to complete an adapted version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale. These students’ mid-term English examination scores were collected as a measure of foreign language achievement. Factorial analysis revealed a 3-factor solution for the adapted scale, including Enjoyment of Teacher Support, Enjoyment of Student Support, and Enjoyment of Foreign Language Learning. Path analysis showed that Enjoyment of Foreign Language Learning had a direct effect on mid-term scores. Enjoyment of Teacher Support and Enjoyment of Student Support indirectly affected language achievement via Enjoyment of Foreign Language Learning. There was no significant difference in the indirect effect of enjoyment of teacher and student support on English achievement. The findings are discussed and pedagogical implications are suggested.
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Studies have mostly found moderate positive correlations between FLE and academic achievement.
“These studies have mostly found moderate positive correlations between FLE and academic achievement (see Dewaele, 2019;Jin & Zhang, 2021), but nonsignificant results have also been reported (Dewaele & Proietti Ergün, 2020).”
From Taking stock: A meta-analysis of the effects of foreign language enjoyment (2022) · cites this paper as Jin & Zhang, 2021
Prior research has found greater FLE associated with higher academic achievement.
“Greater FLE in the FL class has been associated with lower foreign language anxiety (FLA; Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016), greater willingness to communicate (WTC) in the target language (TL; Khajavy et al., 2018), higher academic achievement in the FL classroom (Jin & Zhang, 2021), and higher self-perceived competence in the TL (Zhang et al., 2020).”
From Taking stock: A meta-analysis of the effects of foreign language enjoyment (2022) · cites this paper as Jin & Zhang, 2021
FLE can lead to better academic achievement, L2 motivation, and social-behavioral learning engagement.
“Reviewing the existing literature indicated that FLE can lead to better academic achievement (Jin and Zhang, 2018; Li et al., 2020), L2 motivation (MacIntyre, 2016), and social-behavioral learning engagement (Dewaele and Li, 2021).”
From Researching and Practicing Positive Psychology in Second/Foreign Language Learning and Teaching: The Past, Current Status and Future Directions (2021) · cites this paper as Jin and Zhang, 2018
Cites
Pekrun, R. (2006) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9 · Cited by 5,566 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Therefore, Enjoyment of English Learning is better viewed as an activity and outcome dimension of English classroom enjoyment (Pekrun 2006).”
BackgroundThe two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5 · Cited by 1,757 · see citing works
Pekrun, R., Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2009) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013383 · Cited by 1,255 · see citing works
Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety: The effect of teacher and learner variables
Dewaele, J.-M., Witney, J., Saito, K., & Dewaele, L. (2018) · Language Teaching Research · doi:10.1177/1362168817692161 · Cited by 780 · see citing works
2. An Overview of Language Anxiety Research and Trends in its Development
MacIntyre, P. D. (2017) · New Insights into Language Anxiety · doi:10.21832/9781783097722-003 · Cited by 477 · see citing works
Does the effect of enjoyment outweigh that of anxiety in foreign language performance?
Dewaele, J.-M., & Alfawzan, M. (2018) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.2 · Cited by 418 · see citing works
Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2017) · Journal of the European Second Language Association · doi:10.22599/jesla.6 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Horwitz, E. K. (2017) · New Insights into Language Anxiety · doi:10.21832/9781783097722-004 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Reciprocal relations between students’ academic enjoyment, boredom, and achievement over time
Putwain, D. W., Becker, S., Symes, W., & Pekrun, R. (2018) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.08.004 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Love and enjoyment in context: four case studies of adolescent EFL learners
Pavelescu, L. M., & Petrić, B. (2018) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.1.4 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Exploring the Fluctuations of Foreign Language Enjoyment in Conversation: An Idiodynamic Perspective
Elahi Shirvan, M., & Talebzadeh, N. (2018) · Journal of Intercultural Communication Research · doi:10.1080/17475759.2017.1400458 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
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Wang, Y., Derakhshan, A., & Zhang, L. J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731721 · Cited by 762 · see citing works
“Reviewing the existing literature indicated that FLE can lead to better academic achievement (Jin and Zhang, 2018; Li et al., 2020), L2 motivation (MacIntyre, 2016), and social-behavioral learning engagement (Dewaele and Li, 2021).”
BackgroundSelf-citationTaking stock: A meta-analysis of the effects of foreign language enjoyment
Botes, E., Dewaele, J.-M., & Greiff, S. (2022) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.2022.12.2.3 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2020) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.3 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Botes, E., Dewaele, J.-M., & Greiff, S. (2020) · European Journal of Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1515/eujal-2020-0003 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Dewaele, J.-M., & Proietti Ergün, A. L. (2020) · Journal of the European Second Language Association · doi:10.22599/jesla.65 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
A comparative study of two scales for foreign language classroom enjoyment
Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2019) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.1177/0031512519864471 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Self-citationZhang, T., Chen, X., Hu, J., & Ketwan, P. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660564 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“FLE has also been demonstrated to be a strong predictor of learners’ willingness to communicate (Dewaele and Dewaele, 2018), learners’ performances on lexical decision tasks (Dewaele and Alfawzan, 2018) and L2 achievement (Jin and Zhang, 2018).”
BackgroundSun, Q., & Zhang, L. J. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03416-0 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Jin, Y., & Zhang, L. J.
- Affiliations
- Hainan Normal University (CN)
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Jin, Yinxing
- Venue
- International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-10-14
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 948-962
- ISSN
- 1367-0050 (ISSN-L)
- 1747-7522
- OpenAlex
- W2897199305
- Cited by
- 298
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 57.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (publishedVersion)
- ResearchSpace (University of Auckland) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Environments and Student Outcomes
- Keywords
- foreign language achievement, English as a foreign language, Chinese high school students, scale adaptation
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