The paper titled "Investigating the Relationship between Emotional Well-being and Grit as Predictors of Saudi EFL Female Students' Foreign Language Achievement" by Nada A. Alqarni focuses on understanding how psychological factors, specifically emotional well-being and grit, influence the academic achievement of Saudi EFL (English as a Foreign Language) female students. The study aims to explore the relationships between these psychological constructs and how they predict the academic success of these learners, with a particular focus on the impact of age on these relationships.
The purpose of this study is to address the research gap in the literature regarding the role of positive psychology in language learning, particularly in the context of Saudi Arabia. The study specifically investigates the statistical relationships between grit, emotional well-being, and foreign language achievement among Saudi female EFL learners, with additional attention to how age may moderate these relationships.
The methodology employed in this study is a quantitative research design using an online survey distributed to 84 Saudi EFL female undergraduate students at King Khalid University. The survey collected data on the participants' age, GPA (as a measure of academic achievement), grit (using the Grit Scale), and emotional well-being (using the PERMA-Profiler). Statistical analyses, including Pearson correlational tests and hierarchical regression tests, were conducted to determine the relationships between the variables.
The key findings of the research reveal several important insights: (1) Grit is positively correlated with emotional well-being among the participants, indicating that those with higher levels of grit also report higher levels of emotional well-being. (2) Both grit and emotional well-being are significant predictors of academic achievement, suggesting that these psychological factors contribute to the success of Saudi EFL learners. (3) Older students exhibited higher levels of grit compared to their younger counterparts, implying that age may play a role in the development of perseverance and sustained effort in language learning.
The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the psychological traits of language learners, particularly grit and emotional well-being, in enhancing their academic performance. The findings suggest that fostering these positive psychological constructs could lead to better language learning outcomes. The study also highlights the need for further research to explore the long-term effects of these constructs and to investigate their interplay with other factors that may influence language learning success.
In summary, this paper provides valuable insights into the positive psychological factors that contribute to the academic achievement of Saudi EFL female students, with practical implications for language teaching and learning in similar contexts.