Against the backdrop of declining motivation and growing social and emotional challenges in English learning experienced by Hong Kong primary school students, the study aimed to profile an interactive pattern between relevant motivational beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy, interest, and growth mindset), social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and English learning achievements. Data was collected from 913 4th graders with questionnaires and an English test. Results indicated a medium-high level of motivation among the participants, and a high level of self-awareness and social awareness skills but a medium level of self-management and social management skills in terms of SEL. More importantly, structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses confirmed the intricate interplay where the motivational beliefs predicted English learning achievements through the mediation of self-awareness and self-management skills. Our findings also underscore the relatively higher importance of interest and growth mindset than self-efficacy in English learning for young children. Pedagogical implications are discussed. Copyright ©2024 Taylor & Francis.

Self-regulated reading-to-write (R2W) can be portrayed as learners' proactive learning of useful elements (e.g. content, rhetorical features, and conventions) from reading by using strategies, which is an effective mechanism connecting reading and writing, to improve their writing competence. In the present study, six major types of self-regulated R2W strategies, i.e. mining reading, writerly reading, cognitive strategies, purposive reading, recalling while writing, and peer revision reading that can contribute to writing competence were included in the proposed self-regulated R2W framework. Importantly, a self-regulated R2W scale was established to understand the impacts of four types of strategies. Participants were 458 primary students (9 to 13 years old, M = 10.12, SD = 0.62) in Hong Kong. They completed the self-regulated R2W questionnaire along with motivational variables and a writing competence test. The motivational variables (i.e. self-efficacy and perceived task values) were positively related to self-regulated R2W strategy use. Important differences in self-regulated R2W strategy use among the high, average, and low achievers were identified. Results indicated that self-regulated R2W strategy use had positive impacts on writing competence. This is the first time that reading-to-write is proposed from a self-regulated learning perspective in ESL/EFL school contexts. The self-regulated R2W framework, scale and positive impacts of strategy use on writing have important implications for future research and practices. Copyright © 2023 SAGE Publications.

The present study reports on the effects of a self-regulated (SRL) writing strategy-based intervention supported with e-learning tools on SRL strategy use in English writing with 468 Hong Kong primary school students. The changes to the students’ motivation in English writing, and their e-learning acceptance were also measured. The study adopted a pretest and posttest design and the data was collected through a questionnaire, which consisted of three measures, i.e. SRL writing strategy use, motivation in English writing, and e-learning acceptance. The SRL writing strategy use measure included four types of strategies, i.e. planning, text-generating, monitoring, and revising. The motivation measure had two scales, i.e. interest and self-efficacy, and the e-learning acceptance measure included four scales, i.e. perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude and continuance intention. The intervention saw significant improvements on the students’ use of all four types of SRL writing strategies. Positive changes also took place to one scale of motivation, i.e. interest, and three scales of e-learning acceptance, i.e. perceived usefulness, attitude and continuance intention. There was no significant improvement to self-efficacy and perceived ease of use. Additionally, the correlations between all the scales became stronger after the intervention. Important implications for teaching ESL/EFL writing through e-learning are drawn. Copyright © 2022 Taylor & Francis.

With growing attention attached to young students' social and emotional well-being besides their cognitive development, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly researched in general school education over the past decades with its positive effects on academic performance reported. However, SEL research has not emerged in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning contexts. To bridge the void, the current research aimed to profile Hong Kong secondary school students' SEL competence level and examine the intricate relationships among the four SEL competence clusters (i.e. self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social management) and English learning achievements. The results indicated an overall medium level of SEL competence among 315 secondary school grade level 3 students and suggested a gap between the students' high level of awareness skills and their medium level of management skills. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses confirmed two mediation paths, thus highlighting the seminal mediating role of self-management skills in enhancing the effects of self-awareness and social awareness skills on English learning achievements. Important implications are discussed. Copyright ©2021 SAGE Publications.

There has been an increasing concern on teachers’ adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practices. However, little has been explored about English as a second language (ESL) teachers’ ICT adoption. This study synthesizes the technology acceptance model (TAM), the value-expectancy theory, and a learning perspective to propose a model -for investigating ESL teachers’ continuance intention to use ICT in teaching. In the proposed model, motivational beliefs, ICT learning behaviors, facilitating conditions, and perceptions towards ICT use were put together to see how they worked together to influence continuance intention. Participants were 156 primary school ESL teachers in Hong Kong, who attended a teacher professional development program. Structural equation modeling showed that ICT self-efficacy and facilitating conditions were positively associated with continuance intention through perceptions (i.e. perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness). ICT anxiety had a negative effect, whereas interest had a positive effect on continuance intention. Growth mindset had a positive effect on continuance intention through learning of ICT (i.e. adaptive help seeking). Implications for teachers’ professional development programs are discussed. Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between motivational variables, self-regulated writing strategy use and writing competence with 511 fourth graders in Hong Kong. The high writing achievers reported a higher level of motivation, i.e. self-efficacy, task values (i.e. interest and utility) and growth mindset in English writing than the low writing achievers. The high achievers also used various self-regulated writing strategies more frequently than their low achieving counterparts. Self-efficacy and growth mindset were found to be almost equally important predictors of strategy use, while the impacts of interest and utility were weaker. The results indicated that self-regulated learning and competence in English writing can be improved through the promotion of motivation. This study highlights the influence of the social-cultural context on motivation. More importantly, growth mindset may emerge as a new research agenda in English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) writing. Copyright © 2021 Routledge.