Applied Linguistics Review· 2026Q1
How do different dimensions of enjoyment and out-of-class engagements relate to writing proficiency? A longitudinal investigation of young EFL learners
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
For young EFL learners in a high-achieving school, enjoyment (private, teacher, atmosphere, non-academic) and time on non-academic activities predicted writing proficiency; in an average school, only private enjoyment and time on non-academic activities predicted it; no predictors were found for a low-achieving school. Overall, private enjoyment, atmosphere enjoyment, non-academic enjoyment, and time on non-academic activities positively predicted writing proficiency.
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Key points
- Enjoyment dimensions (private, teacher, atmosphere, non-academic) and time on non-academic activities positively predicted writing proficiency in a high-achieving EFL school.
- In an average-achieving EFL school, only private enjoyment and time on non-academic activities predicted writing proficiency.
- No enjoyment or engagement dimensions predicted writing proficiency in a low-achieving EFL school.
- Across all schools, private enjoyment, atmosphere enjoyment, non-academic enjoyment, and time on non-academic activities were significant positive predictors of writing proficiency.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Enjoyment, as a positive emotion, and out-of-class learning have only rarely been combined in research designs on FL teaching and learning. This longitudinal study examined how five dimensions of FL enjoyment (FLE; in the classroom: Private, teacher, and atmosphere; outside the classroom: homework; non-academic out-of-class target-language activities) and three types of out-of-class engagements (self-study; supplementary education; non-academic activities) related to 327 Grade-7 Hong Kong EFL learners’ writing proficiency. The participants were recruited from three schools, one high-achieving, one average-, and one low-achieving (Schools A, B, and C respectively). Multiple regression analyses revealed that FLE-private, FLE-teacher, FLE-atmosphere, FLE-non-academic activities, and time spent on non-academic activities positively predicted writing proficiency in School A. However, only two significant positive predictors, namely FLE-private and time spent on non-academic activities, were found for School B, and none was found for School C. Linear mixed-effects modeling, with random intercepts for schools and variability across schools taken into account, demonstrated that FLE-private, FLE-atmosphere, FLE-non-academic activities, and time spent on non-academic activities positively predicted writing proficiency.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Applied Linguistics Review, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Language and Linguistics
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities