Roles of emotions and L2 selves in predicting and mediating Chinese university students’ L2 achievement

Why feelings in language class matter

Anyone who has tried to learn a new language knows it is not just about grammar drills and vocabulary lists. How we feel in the classroom—nervous, excited, bored, or proud—can shape whether we stick with the language and how well we eventually use it. This study looks at how Chinese university students’ emotions and their visions of themselves as future English speakers work together to influence their success in English, offering insights that speak to learners, teachers, and parents alike.

Classroom moods and future self-images

The researcher focused on four key emotions that often show up in language classes: anxiety, enjoyment, boredom, and self-pride. At the same time, the study explored how students pictured their own “future English selves.” One type of self-image was positive and personal: the student who truly wants to be a confident English user in the future. Another was about duty: feeling that one should learn English to meet others’ expectations. A third piece captured how pleasant or unpleasant students found their past and present English learning experiences. Together, these feelings and self-images form a web that can push learners forward or hold them back.

How the study was carried out

The study involved 517 undergraduates at a top research university in Beijing, from first-year students to seniors, majoring in subjects ranging from chemistry to literature. All had many years of English study and frequent contact with English in lectures and readings. Students completed detailed questionnaires in Chinese that measured their emotions in English class, their pride in their English progress, their motivation and future self-images, and how they viewed their English learning experiences. They also reported their test scores and rated their own overall English ability, allowing the researcher to connect inner feelings with outward performance.

What the patterns reveal

The results showed clear and consistent trends. Students who felt more anxiety and boredom in English class tended to report lower motivation, weaker positive future English selves, and less satisfying learning experiences. Those who enjoyed class and felt proud of their English accomplishments showed the opposite pattern: stronger motivation, clearer ideal English selves, and better memories of learning. Enjoyment and pride also went hand in hand with higher self-rated English ability and better test scores, while anxiety and boredom were linked to poorer performance. Interestingly, feeling pressured to learn English to satisfy others—the duty-based self—had little to do with how well students actually performed.

How feelings and self-images work together

When the researcher examined all the factors at once, some stood out as especially powerful. Anxiety strongly predicted lower English achievement, while pride and having a vivid ideal English self predicted higher achievement. Enjoyment and boredom also mattered, but their effects could be partly cancelled out when several emotions were considered together. A closer look suggested that emotions can act as bridges between students’ future self-images and their actual performance: students with strong, positive future English selves tended to feel less anxious and more proud, and those emotions in turn were tied to better English outcomes.

What this means for learners and teachers

In simple terms, the study suggests that doing well in a foreign language is not just about how much you study, but also about how you feel and how you picture your future self. Building a vivid, attractive image of yourself as a capable English user, feeling proud of your progress, and finding ways to reduce anxiety can all support better learning. For teachers, this means creating classroom experiences that spark enjoyment, encourage realistic pride, and help students imagine meaningful futures with English, rather than simply piling on pressure and expectations.

Citation: Liu, M. Roles of emotions and L2 selves in predicting and mediating Chinese university students’ L2 achievement. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 670 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06993-8

Keywords: language learning emotions, English motivation, student anxiety, ideal L2 self, Chinese university students