Learning environment matters for university EFL learners’ emotions and approaches to online learning technologies: A Chinese perspective

Abstract

Technology is constantly changing the language learning environment and online language learning (OLL) has attracted increasing attention. In this study, EFL learners’ perceptions of the OLL environments and the relationships between these perceptions and the learners’ emotions and approaches to online learning technologies were investigated. A sample of 567 Chinese university EFL learners from 18 public higher education institutions across 5 provinces responded to an online questionnaire survey. The data analysis based on structural equation modelling revealed that the EFL learners’ perceptions of task orientation, innovation and individualisation were positively related to the deep approach to online learning technologies. However, unlike previous findings, no significant relationship was found between the factors of the relationship dimension and the students' approaches to online learning technologies (SAOLT). Perceived innovation was found to be negatively related to enjoyment, and perceived personalization was found to be positively related to anxiety. Furthermore, the learners’ emotions, especially anxiety, significantly mediated the relationship between perceived task orientation and the surface approach to online learning technologies. Overall, the findings of this study improve the understanding of EFL learners’ online learning experiences and provide practical insights for enhancing the quality of OLL environments and promoting learning outcomes.