Linguistic Ostracism and Academic Achievement in EFL Learning: The Mediating Role of Subjective Well-Being and the Moderating Role of Foreign Language Enjoyment
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65840/jllcd.v3i1.44
linguistic ostracism, subjective well-being, foreign language enjoyment, academic achievement, EFL learners, positive psychology
Abstract
Linguistic ostracism has emerged as a growing concern in foreign language learning environments, yet its influence on academic outcomes remains insufficiently understood. This study examined the direct and indirect effects of linguistic ostracism on academic achievement through subjective well-being and investigated the moderating role of foreign language enjoyment among Chinese EFL learners. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 415 undergraduate students from foreign language universities in Jiangxi Province, China. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that linguistic ostracism negatively predicted academic achievement and significantly reduced life satisfaction and positive affect while increasing negative affect. Subjective well-being emerged as a significant mediating mechanism, with positive affect demonstrating the strongest indirect effect on academic achievement. The results further indicated that foreign language enjoyment significantly attenuated the adverse impact of linguistic ostracism, highlighting its role as a psychological resilience resource. The integrated model explained substantial variance in both subjective well-being and academic achievement, underscoring the importance of social and emotional experiences in language learning. These findings contribute to the growing intersection of social exclusion research, positive psychology, and second-language acquisition by demonstrating how exclusionary language experiences shape educational outcomes through affective and cognitive processes. Practical implications for fostering inclusive and emotionally supportive language-learning environments are discussed.
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