The impact of self-efficacy on psychological resilience in EFL learners: a serial mediation model.

BACKGROUND

EFL learners often experience anxiety and emotional stress, which can hinder their academic persistence and well-being. Although previous studies have examined self-efficacy, language anxiety, and emotion regulation separately, their combined effect on psychological resilience remains underexplored. Guided by self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of individuals' belief in their ability to cope with challenges, and emotion regulation theory, which focuses on how emotional management facilitates psychological adaptation, this study proposes a serial mediation model in which self-efficacy enhances resilience by reducing language anxiety and improving emotion regulation.

METHOD

This study used the self-efficacy scale, language anxiety scale, emotion regulation scale, and psychological resilience scale to collect 540 valid responses. Data were analyzed and processed with SPSS 26.0 software to examine the direct effect of self-efficacy on EFL learners' psychological resilience, along with the mediating functions of language anxiety and emotion regulation.

RESULTS

Self-efficacy was significantly associated with psychological resilience (β = 0.096, p < 0.001). Language anxiety mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience (β = 0.122, 95% CI: [0.070, 0.185]). Emotion regulation also mediated this relationship (β = 0.067, 95% CI: [0.033, 0.106]). Both language anxiety and emotion regulation together had a serial mediating effect (β = 0.065, 95% CI: [0.038, 0.099]).

CONCLUSION

This study found that self-efficacy was positively associated with psychological resilience among EFL learners, with language anxiety and emotion regulation acting as sequential mediators. The findings offer theoretical support for understanding their psychological adaptation.