IntroductionResearch findings from various academic domains have demonstrated that students’ self-efficacy (SE) influences their academic performance while limited studies have explored how foreign language reading SE influences reading performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between reading SE, intrinsic cognitive load (CL), boredom, and reading performance.MethodsThe participants were 272 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners at a comprehensive university in China, who attended a compulsory English course for improving their English reading and writing proficiency. Data were analyzed through SPSS and structural equation modeling (SEM).ResultsThe result of the study provided support for the hypothesized relationships. Students’ English reading SE is positively related to their reading performance and negatively related to intrinsic CL. Their intrinsic CL during reading comprehension is negatively related to reading performance. Reading boredom is negatively related to reading SE and reading performance but positively related to CL. Furthermore, students’ CL mediates the relationship between reading SE and performance while the negative achievement emotion of boredom moderates the relationship between reading SE and CL.DiscussionThe research highlights the importance of cognitive and emotional factors in influencing the relationship between foreign language reading self-efficacy and reading performance. Implications for EFL teachers and researchers are discussed.

The study aims to explore the interrelationships between translation learning belief, learning strategy use, learning engagement, anxiety, and their effects on learning performance at the higher education level in China. We administered a questionnaire to 339 undergraduates (148 males and 191 females). Results showed that: (a) female students had more positive learning beliefs, and higher engagement, as well as higher translation test scores than their male peers; (b) students at high English level possessed higher translating test and self-rating scores but less anxiety than those students at a low level; (c) translation learning belief, strategy use, and learning engagement positively predicted learning performance while anxiety negatively predicted translation learning performance; (d) strategy use had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between learning belief and learning engagement; and (e) strategy use and learning engagement played a complete mediating role in the relationship between learning belief and performance. Educators should be aware of the interrelationship between these learner variables and the significant mediating role of learning strategy and engagement.