Abstract

Driven by the positive psychology turn in second language acquisition and addressing persistent challenges such as low motivation and unsatisfactory outcomes in Chinese tertiary English education, Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) has emerged as a crucial affective variable. However, the underlying mechanisms through which FLE influences foreign language achievement, particularly the mediating role of learning motivation, remain under-explored. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Control-Value Theory, this study investigated the pathways through which FLE affects foreign language achievement among Chinese university students, with a particular focus on the differential mediating roles of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A total of 430 non-English-major undergraduates participated in the study. Data were collected using the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale, the English Learning Motivation Scale, and participants’ College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) scores. A parallel mediation model incorporating both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was constructed and tested using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that (1) foreign language enjoyment exerted a significant direct positive effect on students’ foreign language achievement; (2) intrinsic motivation partially and significantly mediated the relationship between foreign language enjoyment and foreign language achievement; and (3) extrinsic motivation did not function as a significant mediator in this relationship. These findings provide empirical support for the pivotal role of intrinsic motivation in translating positive emotional experiences into academic success. The study offers theoretical and pedagogical implications for optimizing the affective environment of foreign language classrooms and fostering learners’ sustainable, self-determined motivation in college English education.

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