Study on the Impact of Critical Thinking Skills and Foreign Language Enjoyment on Foreign Language Performance

Abstract

The importance of critical thinking skills and foreign language enjoyment in foreign language learning has been widely recognized, but the specific pathways through which they influence foreign language performance are not yet clear. This study surveyed foreign language learners based on the rational-emotional theory and used path analysis to explore the mediating effect of foreign language enjoyment between critical thinking skills and foreign language performance. The results revealed that: 1) Critical thinking skills and foreign language enjoyment significantly positively predicted foreign language performance; 2) Critical thinking skills significantly positively predicted foreign language enjoyment; 3) Critical thinking skills indirectly influenced foreign language performance through promoting foreign language enjoyment, indicating that foreign language enjoyment partially mediated the positive prediction of critical thinking skills on foreign language performance. These findings confirm the importance of cultivating critical thinking skills and eliciting positive emotions for successful foreign language learning.