Fostering engagement in EFL listening: how teacher autonomy support mediates the impact of academic emotions

This study investigates how academic emotions and autonomy support shape engagement in English as a foreign language (EFL) listening, a skill that receives less research attention than reading, writing, or speaking. Two hundred and nineteen Chinese undergraduates completed scales on academic emotions, perceived autonomy support, and their behavioral and emotional engagement in listening activities. We found that the impact of academic emotions on listening learning engagement presented a complex, multi-path system. The results showed that enjoyment most directly and powerfully enhanced learning engagement, while hopelessness and anger directly diminished affective and behavioral engagement, respectively. Meanwhile, although pride and anxiety did not have a direct effect, they could indirectly be transformed into positive drivers by stimulating students’ perception of teacher autonomy support; conversely, boredom indirectly inhibited engagement by undermining such support. Our findings suggest that comprehension difficulties can sharpen students’ emotional responses, and these feelings, in turn, influence their engagement in listening tasks. This study indicates that an autonomy-supportive learning environment can foster students’ positive emotional experiences and promote their engagement in EFL listening.