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

Yajun Wu; Xia Kang

doi:10.54475/jlt.2023.002

Authors

Yajun Wu Foshan University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3174-7575
Xia Kang Foshan University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5226-3801

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2023.002

Keywords:

academic boredom, behavioral engagement, EFL achievement, mediation mechanism

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.

Author Biographies

Yajun Wu, Foshan University

Yajun Wu is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Humanities and Education at Foshan University.
Email: wuyajun1225@163.com
Xia Kang, Foshan University

Xia Kang is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Mathematics and Big Data at Foshan University (Jiangwan Campus). She is a PhD candidate at the University of Hong Kong.
E-mail: kangxia15618@163.com.

References

Bench, S. W., & Lench, H. C. (2019). Boredom as a seeking state: Boredom prompts the pursuit of novel (even negative) experiences. Emotion, 19(2), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000433

Byrne, B. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Routledge.

Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1995). Constructing validity: Basic issues in objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.309

Clem, A. L., Rudasill, K. M., Hirvonen, R., Aunola, K., & Kiuru, N. (2021). The roles of teacher-student relationship quality and self-concept of ability in adolescents’ achievement emotions: Temperament as a moderator. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 36(2), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-020-00473-6

Comrey, A. L., & Lee, H. B. (2009). A first course in factor analysis. Psychology Press.

Daniels, L. M., Stupnisky, R. H., Pekrun, R., Haynes, T. L., Perry, R. P., & Newall, N. E. (2009). A longitudinal analysis of achievement goals: From affective antecedents to emotional effects and achievement outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(4), 948–963. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016096

Efron, B. (1988). Bootstrap confidence intervals: Good or bad? Psychological Bulletin, 104(2), 293–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-7152(88)90042-9

Eren, A., & Coskun, H. (2016). Students’ level of boredom, boredom coping strategies, epistemic curiosity, and graded performance. Journal of Educational Research, 109(6), 574–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2014.999364

Feng, E., & Hong, G. (2022). Engagement mediates the relationship between emotion and achievement of Chinese EFL learners. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.895594

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage Publications. https://www.ptonline.com/articles/how-to-get-better-mfi-results

Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059

Gänswein, W. (2011). Effectiveness of information use for strategic decision making. In Effectiveness of Information Use for Strategic Decision Making. Gabler Verlag.

Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., Pekrun, R., & Hall, N. C. (2006). The domain specificity of academic emotional experiences. Journal of Experimental Education, 75(1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.1.5-29

Green, J., Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2007). Motivation and engagement in English, mathematics and science high school subjects: Towards an understanding of multidimensional domain specificity. Learning and Individual Differences, 17(3), 269–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2006.12.003

Hair Jr, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis. Cengage Learning.

Hayes, A. F. (2022). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. The Guilford Press.

Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling:A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55.

Hunter, J. A., Abraham, E. H., Hunter, A. G., Goldberg, L. C., & Eastwood, J. D. (2016). Personality and boredom proneness in the prediction of creativity and curiosity. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 22, 48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.08.002

Hunter, J. A., & Eastwood, J. D. (2021). Understanding the relation between boredom and academic performance in postsecondary students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(3), 499–515. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000479

Hutcheson, G. D., & Sofroniou, N. (2006). The multivariate social scientist: Introductory statistics using generalized linear models. Sage Publications.

Kaiser, H. F. (1960). The application of electronic computers to factor analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20(1), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000116

Kang, X., & Wu, Y. (2021). Investigating the linkage between school psychological capital and achievement emotions in secondary school mathematics. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00623-4

Kang, X., & Wu, Y. (2022). Academic enjoyment, behavioral engagement, self-concept, organizational strategy and achievement in EFL setting: A multiple mediation analysis. PLoS ONE, 17(4), e0267405. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267405

Kelley, T. L. (1939). The selection of upper and lower groups for the validation of test items. Journal of Educational Psychology, 30(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0057123

Kruk, M., Pawlak, M., & Zawodniak, J. (2021). Another look at boredom in language instruction: The role of the predictable and the unexpected. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 11(1), 15–40. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.1.2

Li, C. (2021). A control–value theory approach to boredom in English classes among university students in China. Modern Language Journal, 105(1), 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12693

Li, C., & Li, W. (2022). Anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom in language learning amongst junior secondary students in rural China: How do they contribute to L2 achievement? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263122000031

Macklem, G. L. (2018). Boredom in the classroom: Addressing student motivation, self-regulation, and engagement in learning. Springer.

Marsh, H. W., Wen, Z., & Hau, K. T. (2004). Structural equation models of latent interactions: Evaluation of alternative estimation strategies and indicator construction. Psychological Methods, 9(3), 275–300. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.9.3.275

Matsunaga, M. (2010). How to factor-analyze your data right: Do’s, don’s, and how-to’s. International Journal of Psychological Research, 3(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.21500/20112084.854

Nakamura, S., Darasawang, P., & Reinders, H. (2021). The antecedents of boredom in L2 classroom learning. System, 98, 102469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102469

Oksenberg, L., Cannell, C., & Kalton, G. (1991). New strategies for pretesting survey questions. Journal of Official Statistics, 7(3), 349–365.

Pawlak, M., Kruk, M., Zawodniak, J., & Pasikowski, S. (2020). Investigating factors responsible for boredom in English classes: The case of advanced learners. System, 91, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102259

Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9

Pekrun, R., Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., & Perry, R. P. (2007). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: An integrative approach to emotions in education. In P. A. Schutz & R. Pekrun (Eds.), Emotion in education (pp. 13–36). Academic Press.

Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., Barchfeld, P., & Perry, R. P. (2011). Measuring emotions in students’ learning and performance: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ). Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.10.002

Pekrun, R., Hall, N. C., Goetz, T., & Perry, R. P. (2014). Boredom and academic achievement: Testing a model of reciprocal causation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(3), 696–710. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036006

Putwain, D. W., Symes, W., Nicholson, L. J., & Becker, S. (2018). Achievement goals, behavioural engagement, and mathematics achievement: A mediational analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 68, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.09.006

Reeve, J. (2013). How students create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves: The concept of agentic engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 579–595. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032690

Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(4), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.002

Schwartze, M. M., Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., Pekrun, R., Reck, C., Marx, A. K. G., & Fiedler, D. (2021). Boredom makes me sick: Adolescents’ boredom trajectories and their health-related quality of life. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12), 6308. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126308

Sedaghat, M., Abedin, A., Hejazi, E., & Hassanabadi, H. (2011). Motivation, cognitive engagement, and academic achievement. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2406–2410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.117

Shao, K., Pekrun, R., Marsh, H. W., & Loderer, K. (2020). Control-value appraisals, achievement emotions, and foreign language performance: A latent interaction analysis. Learning and Instruction, 69, 101356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101356

Sharp, J. G., Sharp, J. C., & Young, E. (2020). Academic boredom, engagement and the achievement of undergraduate students at university: A review and synthesis of relevant literature. Research Papers in Education, 35(2), 144–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1536891

Shehzad, M. W., Albesher, K. B., Sarfraz, S., & Razzaq, S. (2021). Listening boredom, listening boredom coping strategies, and listening performance: Exploring the possible relationships in Saudi EFL context. Journal of Language and Education, 7(3), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.17323/JLE.2021.12875

Shih, S.-S. (2018). Examining relationships of Taiwanese adolescents’ achievement goals to academic engagement and coping. Journal of Education and Human Development, 7(1), 153–165. https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v7n1a18

Skinner, E. A., Kindermann, T. A., & Furrer, C. J. (2009). A motivational perspective on engagement and disaffection: Conceptualization and assessment of children’s behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(3), 493–525. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164408323233

Steinmayr, R., Meißner, A., Weidinger, A. F., & Wirthwein, L. (2014). Academic achievement. In L. H. Meyer (Ed.), Oxford bibliographies online: Education (pp. 1–16). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780199756810-0108

Tze, V. M. C., Daniels, L. M., & Klassen, R. M. (2016). Evaluating the relationship between boredom and academic outcomes: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 28(1), 119–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9301-y

Tze, V. M. C., Klassen, R. M., & Daniels, L. M. (2014). Patterns of boredom and its relationship with perceived autonomy support and engagement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(3), 175–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.05.001

Wang, H., & Xu, Y. (2021). Effects of different types of boredom on foreign language learning. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 11(1), 51–56. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1101.06

Wu, Y., & Kang, X. (2021). A moderated mediation model of expectancy-value interactions, engagement, and foreign language performance. Sage Open, 11(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211059176

Zhou, S., Zhu, H., & Zhou, Y. (2022). Impact of teenage EFL learners’ psychological needs on learning engagement and behavioral intention in synchronous online English courses. Sustainability, 14(17), 10468. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710468