The Role of Psychological Capital in Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate, Motivation, and Achievement

Abstract

By shifting the focus of studies in applied linguistics from negative psychology to positive psychology, psychological capital (PsyCap) consisting of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience can be an influential factor in the language classrooms. Prior studies have emphasized the role that PsyCap plays in management, though little attention has been given to it in education. Therefore, to address this gap, this research intends to assess the role of PsyCap in learners' second/foreign (L2) willingness to communicate (WTC), L2 motivational self system, and L2 achievement. To achieve this goal, 317 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners took part in the present study and completed the measures of PsyCap, L2 WTC, and L2 motivational self system. The findings of structural equation modeling demonstrated that the learners' PsyCap was a positive significant predictor of L2 WTC, L2 motivational self system, and L2 achievement. These findings confirm the influential role of PsyCap in language education. Based on the findings, some recommendations were presented on how to apply PsyCap to the realm of language education.

Measuring psychological capital: Revision of the Compound Psychological Capital Scale (CPC-12)

“…Moreover, Lorenz et al [ 29 ] found support for the construct validity of CPC-12, showing that the correlations between various related constructs and psychological capital measured by CPC-12 are in line with existing theory. Some studies also showed that the data collected by CPC-12 fit the theoretical model of PsyCap well (see, e. g., Khajavy et al, [ 35 ]). However, the CPC-12 is still a new scale and more robust evidence on its validity is missing, especially if it is to be used cross-culturally.…”

“…However, the CPC-12 is still a new scale and more robust evidence on its validity is missing, especially if it is to be used cross-culturally. As for factorial validity, neither Lorenz et al [ 29 ] nor other authors (e.g., Pajic et al, [ 36 ]) compared the four factor model with alternative models that might also explain the structure of CPC-12, except for the comparison of models with and without the second-order factor [ 35 ]. With regards to reliability, Lorenz et al.…”

“…[ 29 ] did not provide coefficients of internal consistency of specific CPC-12 subscales. According to Khajavy et al [ 35 ], the internal consistency of resilience and optimism subscales is slightly lower than α = .70. However, the lower consistency might be explained by the fact that the respondents of their research were not native English speakers.…”

The development of EFL Learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy: The role of flipped learning approach with the use of social media

“…Studies about willingness to communicate in a foreign language have shown that motivation is a significant predictor of this construct. ( Khajavy et al, 2019 ; Alrabai, 2022 ; Kruk, 2022 ). Mulyono and Saskia (2020) , in their study, investigated the role of self-confidence, motivation, and anxiety in promoting students’ willingness to communicate in traditional and digital settings.…”

Using a Program Based on Embodied Learning and Online Task Activities For Developing Student Teachers' EFL Critical Listening Skills and Willingness to Communicate

“…The models of WTC were developed through a hierarchy of antecedents starting with personality traits and moved towards more communicationrelated variables, like communication apprehension and perceived competence. The variables contributing to WTC were classified into four main contexts: cultural context, social and psychological context, classroom context and social and individual context (McCroskey and Baer, 1985, Pattapong, 2015,Robson, 2015, Altiner ,2018,Van Le, Cunningham & Watson, 2018,Mohammadi & Mahdivand, 2019,Khajavy, Makiabadi & Navokhi, 2019, Mohammadi, Barati & Youhanaee, 2019. -120 -With increasing emphasis on authentic communication as an essential part of learning and instruction, WTC has also been proposed as one of the key concepts in learning and instruction.…”