Abstract

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is associated with willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC). Although affective mediators (e.g. enjoyment and anxiety) have been found to influence the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC, it is unclear whether cognitive factors influence IDLE’s effects on L2 WTC. This study aims to fill this gap by determining whether self-efficacy beliefs mediate the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC among 246 Kazakhstani university EFL students. In contrast to previous research in other Asian contexts, our structural equation modelling results revealed that IDLE was not directly related to L2 WTC. Instead, self-efficacy beliefs acted as a full mediator between IDLE constructs and L2 WTC. These findings suggest that EFL students who participate in IDLE activities more frequently have a stronger belief in their own ability to perform various tasks in English, which leads to a greater willingness to communicate. This is the first research of its kind in Kazakhstani EFL context. This is also the first study to show that IDLE and L2 WTC are linked via a cognitive factor. Our research offers a context-specific pedagogical IDLE model to teachers and teacher educators in Kazakhstan and other similar EFL contexts.

摘要

英语非正式数字学习 (IDLE) 与使用第二语言 (L2 WTC) 进行交流的意愿相关。尽管已发现情感中介（例如享受和焦虑）会影响 IDLE 与 L2 WTC 之间的关系，但尚不清楚认知因素是否会影响 IDLE 对 L2 WTC 的影响。本研究旨在通过确定 246 名哈萨克斯坦大学 EFL 学生的自我效能信念是否介导 IDLE 和 L2 WTC 之间的关系来填补这一空白。与之前在其他亚洲背景下的研究相比，我们的结构方程建模结果表明 IDLE 与 L2 WTC 没有直接关系。相反，自我效能信念在 IDLE 结构和 L2 WTC 之间发挥了完全的中介作用。这些发现表明，更频繁地参加 IDLE 活动的 EFL 学生对自己用英语执行各种任务的能力更有信心，从而更愿意交流。这是在哈萨克斯坦 EFL 背景下开展的第一项此类研究。这也是第一个表明 IDLE 和 L2 WTC 存在关联的研究通过认知因素。我们的研究为哈萨克斯坦和其他类似 EFL 环境中的教师和教师教育工作者提供了特定环境的教学 IDLE 模型。