How Does the Optimism of Students Learning a Foreign Language Affect Their Creative Self-Efficacy? The Mediating Effects of Hope and Empathy

Abstract

Creative self-efficacy (CSE) is a core influencer of creative behavior and has a positive impact on well-being and development. However, the positive psychological processes that help to promote CSE in foreign-language learning (FLL) remain under-studied. Focusing specifically on FLL students, the present study examined the associations among optimism, hope, empathy, and CSE and investigated the possible mediating roles of hope and empathy in the relationship between optimism and CSE. A sample of 330 FLL students from two Chinese universities participated in this study. The results showed that (i) optimism, hope, and empathy were all positively related to CSE and that (ii) optimism did not directly predict CSE but indirectly and positively predicted CSE through hope and empathy. These findings suggest that optimism, empathy, and hope potentially play positive roles in facilitating CSE in FLL students. Based on the present results, some practical approaches are discussed that could help improve the CSE of FLL students, paying particular attention to the effects that potentially motivate their positivity.

Relationships between proactive personality and creativity: Mindsets and golden mean thinking as parallel mediators among Chinese third language students

“…In this sense, L3 learners will believe in their ability to develop their learning skills and intelligence through efforts or perseverance ( Dweck, 1999 ). Furthermore, the growth mindset that is integrated into their L3 learning will guide them to think with dynamic beliefs and facilitate their cognitive flexibility as well as creativity in L3 learning ( Vidgren, 2016 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ; Chen and Padilla, 2022 ; Lei and Lei, 2022 ).…”

“…Hence, to induce their creative behaviors, teachers could encourage L3 learners to have dialog with partners or tell a story based on what they have learned and brainstormed in class, which motivates them to apply the learned information and strategies to actual use. Moreover, by comparing the similarities as well as the differences between L2 and L3 during their learning process, students may creatively develop a set of language-specific strategies for learning different languages, which can in the end do good to their creativity in the context of language learning ( Chen and Padilla, 2022 ; Lei and Lei, 2022 ).…”

“…Previous studies have supported that L3 learning enhances learners’ creativity in various way. Successful multilingual learners have to keep a highly creative state while learning L3 because they need to frequently switch between languages, using their reasoning skills and flexible thinking to grasp the meaning ( Cummins, 1976 ), which in turn enhances cognitive flexibility and creativity ( Lei and Lei, 2022 ). In addition, researchers found that learning L3 could reduce communicative anxiety and FL anxiety ( Dewaele et al, 2008 ), as well as improve their confidence ( Thompson and Khawaja, 2015 ) and FL enjoyment ( Ergün and Demirdağ, 2022 ), which are found beneficial to facilitate the generation and cultivation of creativity ( Vidgren, 2016 ; Chen and Padilla, 2022 ).…”

“…Given the impact of creativity as a personal trait ( Sharp, 2008 ) on personal development and FL learning, it is important to investigate the factors that may contribute to it. In the field of foreign language acquisition (FLA), some researchers have explored factors that affect second language (L2) learners’ creativity, such as verbal humor and optimism ( Forman, 2011 ; Lin Lei and Lei, 2022 ). However, there is a lack of research on the creativity of FL learners, especially the influence of positive psychological factors (e.g., proactive personality) on the creativity of this group.…”

Emotional Intelligence and Creative Self-Efficacy among Gifted Children: Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Moderating Effect of Gender

“…As an individuals’ self-evaluation of their ability to complete creative tasks, creative self-efficacy is the result of the combined action of the individual and environmental factors, as well as cognitive and noncognitive factors ( Lei and Lei 2022 ; Tierney and Farmer 2011 ; Puente-Díaz and Cavazos-Arroyo 2017 ). From the perspective of the individual, emotional intelligence is an outcome of the combinatory relationship of the cognitive and emotional domains, which is closely related to an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and actions ( Ciarrochi et al 2000 ; Qualter et al 2012 ).…”