HOW SOCIAL SUPPORT AFFECTS CHINESE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT? A MEDIATIONAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

While previous research has shown that perceived social support (PSS) influences students’ learning achievement, there is limited research in the field of English as a foreign language (EFL). This study aims to examine the role of emotions, specifically foreign language enjoyment (FLE), as a mediator between PSS and EFL achievement. The study included 477 seventh and eighth grade students (average age of 13.68 and a standard deviation of 0.61, with 49.5% girls). Using bootstrap analysis, it was found that FLE fully mediates the relationship between PSS and EFL learning achievement, while the direct effect from PSS to academic achievement is not statistically significant. These findings provide empirical support for the existing literature's theoretical assumptions, which suggest that supportive social relationships impact foreign language achievement through affective pathways. Article visualizations: