The predictive effects of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Foreign Language Boredom (FLB) on Matriculation English Test (MET) scores in chinese second-tier university setting

Siti Shuhaida Shukor

Abstract

This study responds to the growing interest in the emotional dimensions of second language acquisition. Informed by the fundamental principles of the control-value theory, this quantitative research employs a questionnaire survey method. The study investigated 451 non-English major freshmen at a second-tier Chinese university for their foreign language anxiety (FLA) and foreign language boredom (FLB), examining their correlations and predictive effects on Matriculation English Test (MET) scores. These students, at the beginning of their university education and having not yet started their courses, provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of emotional factors on the MET within the context of second language acquisition (SLA). Data were collected using classical questionnaires for FLA and FLB, and analyzed with SPSS 26.0 using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression to examine their correlations and predictive effects on MET scores. The research results show that: a) both FLA and FLB have negative impacts on students’ MET scores; and b) FLA emerges as the more influential factor, outweighing FLB in its effect on MET scores. In light of these empirical observations, this study contributes to the understanding of negative achievement emotions and their interwoven connection to language achievement, specifically for the MET. ©Authors.

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