The relationship between academic boredom and EFL achievement: Examining the mediating role of behavioral engagement

Abstract

In addition to anxiety, academic boredom has also begun to enter the vision of educational researchers in recent years. However, studies on academic boredom in the English as a foreign language (EFL) domain could be more comprehensive, especially the mediating mechanism of academic boredom on EFL achievement needs to be further explored. The present study investigated the direct and indirect effects of academic boredom on EFL achievement in a sample of two hundred and thirty-five Chinese secondary EFL learners. SPSS Process and Mplus were utilized to analyze the data. The findings revealed that academic boredom and behavioral engagement scales were valid and reliable in measuring Chinese secondary EFL learners’ boredom and engagement in learning English. Also, mediation analysis showed that behavioral engagement partially mediated between academic boredom and EFL achievement. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed.