Technostress forecasting in EFL classrooms: How digital fatigue and perceived AI ethical concerns shape digital...

This study examines how digital stressors technostress, digital fatigue, and perceived AI ethical concerns impact foreign language learning anxiety (FLLA), digital burnout, and academic performance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, with implications for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on quality education. Employing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 545 university-level EFL learners (domestic and international) in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test a serial mediation model with moderation. Results show that technostress (β = 0.41), digital fatigue (β = 0.33), and AI ethical concerns (β = 0.22) significantly increase FLLA, which in turn fully mediates the effects of these stressors on digital burnout (indirect effects: 0.10-0.19). Technology self-efficacy moderates the negative relationship between burnout and academic performance (β = 0.21), with this moderating effect being stronger for international students. Academic performance strongly predicts SDG-4 achievement (β = 0.53). By integrating control-value theory and the job demands-resources model, this study provides a robust framework for understanding digital stress dynamics in language learning. Practically, the findings underscore the urgency of embedding digital wellness training, culturally responsive onboarding for international students, and discipline-specific AI ethics guidelines into EFL curricula to safeguard learner well-being and advance equitable, sustainable education.