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The relationship between learners’ affective variables and second language achievemen
Alrabai, Fakieh1, Moskovsky, Christo2.
This study examines five affective variables: motivation, attitudes, anxiety, self-esteem and
autonomy, with the aim of establishing their effect, together and individually, on learners’ L2
achievement. Data were collected from Saudi university students learning English as a
second/foreign language as part of their degree. Data collection was conducted, via a
questionnaire and a language test, in two waves – approximately three months apart (N=274 at
Time 1, and N=252 at Time 2). Descriptive and inferential analyses of the data confirmed the
importance of affect in relation to L2 acquisition: the five affective variables together accounted
for between 85% and 91% of the L2 performance variance in our sample. Individually, each of
the five variables was found to make a unique contribution to L2 performance, but among them
motivation emerged as by far the strongest predictor of L2 achievement; by comparison the
effects of the other four on achievement can be described as marginal. This outcome constitutes
compelling evidence of the critical role that motivation plays with respect to L2 acquisition
generally and achievement more specifically. The study’s findings hold a range of potentially
important implications for L2 learning and teaching practices. In light of these findings, EFL
teachers are in a strong position to influence the operation of the affective factors by
consolidating learners’ autonomy and self-esteem, reducing anxiety, promoting positive attitudes
and enhancing learners’ motivation.
Affiliation:
- King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
- The University of Newcastle, Australia
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