Buoyancy and engagement in online English learning: The mediating roles and complex interactions of anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom

Academic buoyancy is a positive trait that has recently received extensive attention. Given the positive psychology turn in SLA, exploring interactions among academic buoyancy, emotions, and online English learning engagement (OELE) is crucial for students’ growth. However, their relationships remain under-investigated. Therefore, we combined structural equation modeling (SEM) with psychological network analysis (PNA) to elaborate the relationships among these variables within 442 Chinese EFL learners. SEM indicated that buoyancy significantly positively predicted enjoyment and OELE, and negatively predicted anxiety and boredom. Enjoyment significantly positively predicted OELE, whereas anxiety and boredom negatively predicted OELE. Furthermore, anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom significantly mediated the relationship between academic buoyancy and OELE. PNA showed that engagement occupies the central position in the network. Academic buoyancy serves as a bridge, connecting emotions and engagement. The current study is committed to providing novel insights into research methods and online instructional design for foreign language teaching and learning.