English learning burnout: Scale validation in the Chinese context

Abstract

While there has been considerable research on learning burnout in educational psychology, it has received little attention in language education. To fill this gap, the present study aims at exploring the construct of English learning burnout (ELB) and examining the levels of this complex construct in a large sample of 1,213 Chinese senior high school students utilizing a 15-item Senior High School English Learning Burnout Scale. A two-dimensional structure of ELB comprising exhaustion and demotivation was extracted by exploratory factor analysis and validated by confirmatory factor analysis. A descriptive analysis showed low levels of global ELB and exhaustion and a moderate level of demotivation. The findings suggest that teachers should be mindful of fostering students’ self-regulated strategies to alleviate their ELB.

Improving EFL Teaching in Chinese Universities: Perceptions of Teachers with Oversea Experience

“…After the analysis carried out, the results generally showed that the teaching staff considered the critical and positive role of learner's self-learning skills, self-regulation and interest in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in China, which was also recognized in the previous studies (Peng, 2021;Liu & Zhong, 2022). They commented on 4 aspects: English teaching, learners' self-learning, the English education system and learners' language competence.…”

Unveiling the Drive and Drift: Exploring Motivation and Sources of Burnout in ESL Learnings

“…Another study done by Liu and Zhong (2022), "Scale Validation of English Learning Burnout (ELB) in the Chinese Context," aimed to define the concept of English learning burnout and analyse its prevalence among 1213 Chinese senior high school students by using a 15-item Senior High School English Learning Burnout Scale. The study concluded that ELB is a negative and complex psychological state that can cause learners to feel disinterested, unmotivated by their confidence and interest and even exhausted regarding English learning.…”