Predictors of foreign language proficiency: Emotion regulation, foreign language enjoyment, or academic stress?

Abstract

Despite recent interest in language learners' psychology, a noticeable gap remains in understanding the effects of a range of psychological factors, such as emotion-regulation (ER) strategies (i.e. cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), foreign-language enjoyment (FLE), and perceived academic stress (PAS) on foreign-language learners’ proficiency. To address this gap, this study collected quantitative data from 215 undergraduate Saudi students studying English as a foreign language (EFL). A partial least squares structural equation modelling approach was used to construct and test a hypothesised structural model of the direct and indirect effects of ER, FLE, and PAS on EFL proficiency. The findings indicate that FLE and PAS positively predict high EFL proficiency. ER strategies do not directly influence EFL proficiency, but do so indirectly through FLE and PAS. The findings also reveal that the adoption of cognitive reappraisal predicts high levels of FLE and PAS, whereas the adoption of expressive suppression predicts lower PAS without reducing FLE. The findings indicate a complex and evolving relationship between the positive and negative emotions of language learners, which can influence their progress in language learning both directly and indirectly.