Unraveling How Social Cues Foster Second Language Achievement in Online Classrooms: The Mediating Mechanism of Classroom Emotions

ORCID

0000-0002-5106-4982

Authors

• Wen Zhao, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, ChinaFollow

Abstract

Guided by the Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE), this study examined how social cues influence three classroom emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom) and, in turn, online second language (L2) achievement. Data were collected from 118 Chinese junior high school English-as-a-second-language learners in a synchronous online English class. Pearson correlations revealed medium-to-large associations among the variables. Social cues were positively associated with enjoyment (r = .569) and negatively associated with anxiety (r = −.429) and boredom (r = −.434). Parallel mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4) showed that enjoyment and anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between social cues and achievement, accounting for 69.70% and 16.14% of the total effect, respectively; boredom did not mediate significantly. These findings extend the CASTLE framework to synchronous online contexts and highlight the critical role of positive emotional mediation in enhancing online L2 achievement. Practical implications for camera-on policies in virtual classrooms are discussed.

Guided by the Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE), this study examined how social cues influence three classroom emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom) and, in turn, online second language (L2) achievement. Data were collected from 118 Chinese junior high school English-as-a-second-language learners in a synchronous online English class. Pearson correlations revealed medium-to-large associations among the variables. Social cues were positively associated with enjoyment (r = .569) and negatively associated with anxiety (r = −.429) and boredom (r = −.434). Parallel mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4) showed that enjoyment and anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between social cues and achievement, accounting for 69.70% and 16.14% of the total effect, respectively; boredom did not mediate significantly. These findings extend the CASTLE framework to synchronous online contexts and highlight the critical role of positive emotional mediation in enhancing online L2 achievement. Practical implications for camera-on policies in virtual classrooms are discussed.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Zhao, Wen (2026) "Unraveling How Social Cues Foster Second Language Achievement in Online Classrooms: The Mediating Mechanism of Classroom Emotions," Journal of English and Applied Linguistics: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59588/2961-3094.1261
Available at: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol5/iss2/1