Motivation and Second Foreign Language Proficiency: The Mediating Role of Foreign Language Enjoyment

Inadequate research attention has been paid to the learning of a third language. For this reason, this study explores senior English major students’ learning of additional foreign languages in seven universities in Shaanxi Province, China. The study examines the relationship between the pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huiyu Zhang, Ying Dai, Yingchong Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1302
Description
Summary:Inadequate research attention has been paid to the learning of a third language. For this reason, this study explores senior English major students’ learning of additional foreign languages in seven universities in Shaanxi Province, China. The study examines the relationship between the participants’ motivation and language proficiency through a questionnaire, and the collected data are analyzed using hierarchical linear regression analysis. The results identify that the participants’ instrumental and integrative motivations positively influence their second foreign language proficiency. Further analysis reveals that the connection between the participants’ motivation and language proficiency is mediated by foreign language enjoyment. These findings form the basis of our suggestions for the sustainable learning and teaching of foreign languages in universities.
ISSN:2071-1050