Neural pathways of attitudes toward foreign languages predict academic performance.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Student academic achievement is influenced by learning attitudes.
• Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying learning attitudes are not well understood.
• Investigating neural correlates of foreign language attitudes (FLAs) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify neural markers associated with attitudes toward foreign languages.
• To examine how these neural markers impact foreign language performance.
• To elucidate the neurobiological basis of attitude-driven academic success.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study 41 Chinese speakers with varying English FLAs.
• Participants completed an English semantic judgment task.
• Multimethod brain imaging analyses and mediation analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• The negative attitude group (NAG) exhibited increased left superior temporal gyrus (STG) activation and STG-precentral gyrus (PCG) connectivity compared to the positive attitude group (PAG).
• Altered functional segregation and integration of brain networks were observed in the NAG during English reading.
• Left STG activity and STG-PCG connectivity mediated the relationship between FLAs and English reading performance.

Conclusions:

• Objective neural markers for subjective FLAs have been identified.
• Attitude-related neural pathways, specifically involving the left STG and its connectivity with the right PCG, play a significant role in academic performance.
• These findings offer insights into the neurobiological mechanisms through which attitudes regulate learning and academic outcomes.