Interplay of control-value appraisals, achievement emotions, and learning empowerment in college EFL writing

Cognitive approaches to language learning have been the primary focus of second language research since the 1970s. However, there has been a noticeable shift in recent years due to the emergence of the "affective turn" within this field, leading to a growing scholarly interest in language learners' affective factors. Inspired by this switch of research focus from cognition to affect, this current study quantitatively unraveled the associations between English learners' control-value appraisals, emotions (enjoyment and boredom), and feelings of empowerment in English writing. Data were gleaned from 249 college students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China through self-reported questionnaires. Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations to examine basic data characteristics and initial relationships among variables. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the hypothesized connections among the constructs. Results suggest that the participants' control and extrinsic value appraisals of English writing were moderate, yet their intrinsic value appraisal, enjoyment, and empowerment were high, with their boredom being minimal. Additionally, their control-value appraisals were significantly associated with achievement emotions and empowerment in English writing. Furthermore, the study revealed that learners' achievement emotions were closely connected to learning empowerment and acted as partial mediators between control-value appraisals and empowerment in English writing. The research outcomes offer valuable implications for English writing instruction.