The spread of COVID-19 has changed the traditional education pattern, and prolonged home isolation and online learning have brought unprecedented challenges to second language teaching and learning. A sample of 1036 Chinese students from four representative middle schools participated in the research. The results indicated four motivations: intrinsic interest, learning situation, personal development, and immediate achievement. There were significant gender differences in English learning motivation. Moreover, intrinsic interest and personal development motivation had a significantly positive impact on English learning achievement, while learning situation had no significant impact, and immediate achievement motivation had a significantly negative impact. The findings highlight the cultivation of students’ learning autonomy and school-family interaction to promote the sustainable development of middle school students’ second language learning.

This study examined the English learning motivation of Chinese ethnic university students. A sample of 776 undergraduates from three representative ethnic universities participated in this research. The findings indicated four types of English learning motivation: intrinsic interest, learning situation, personal development, and international communication. There were statistically significant differences between ethnic minority and Han students, and between male and female students. Moreover, the intrinsic interest motivation of Han students was significantly higher than that of ethnic minority students, and female students’ overall motivation and personal development motivation were significantly higher than those of male students. Intrinsic interest motivation had a significantly positive impact on English achievement, whereas learning situation motivation had a significantly negative impact. These findings highlight the improvement of the learning situation and encouragement of intrinsic interest to enhance minority students’ second language learning and sustainable development. Further research on English as a second language should consider the influence of family and ethnic background.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without quality education and the cultivation of innovative and international talents. This study examined high school students’ English learning motivation structure, the differences between male and female students, and the motivational impact on English learning achievement. Participants included 778 high school students (385 boys and 393 girls) from two Chinese high schools in two representative regions. The results showed that the English learning motivation of high school students mainly included four types, namely, intrinsic interest, learning situation, social responsibility, and personal development. Females’ English learning motivation was significantly higher than that of males. Further, intrinsic interest and personal development had a significantly positive impact on English achievement, whereas social responsibility had a significantly negative impact, and learning situation had no significant impact. The above findings contribute to further understanding of the internal structure of second language learning motivation and the influence mechanism of motivation on achievement, which are of great significance to students’ growth and the sustainable improvement in the quality of education.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be realized without equal education. Based on a multiple linear regression model, this study examined the impact of family cultural capital on the academic achievement of high school students, and the variances in the impact of cultural capital on students from different regions and genders. Participants, including 778 students, from two representative regions were selected for the study (393 girls and 385 boys). The results showed that cultural capital promoted high school students’ academic success in different ways. Institutionalized cultural capital and embodied cultural capital had a significant impact on students’ academic achievements, while objectified cultural capital had no significant impact. This study suggested that cultural capital had an intergenerational effect. The influence of cultural capital on students’ achievement in regions and genders was significantly different. The above findings are helpful to further understand the mechanism of the impact of cultural capital on academic achievement and are of great significance to the sustainable improvement of students’ academic growth and educational equity.