Exploring the roles of academic expectation stress, adaptive coping, and academic resilience on perceived English proficiency

Abstract This study aims to examine and analyze a research model comprising three latent variables (academic expectation stress, adaptive coping, and academic resilience) to gain insights into the perceived English proficiency of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners. These variables have been overlooked in previous literature despite their importance in understanding learning outcomes. A total of 395 undergraduate students from a Taiwanese university participated in this study. Through the use of structural equation modeling, the hypotheses in the research model were tested. The findings of this research are as follows: (1) Academic expectation stress has a significant and negative impact on EFL learners’ perceived English proficiency; (2) Academic resilience positively predicts EFL learners’ perceived English proficiency; (3) Academic resilience mediates the relationship between academic expectation stress and perceived English proficiency; (4) Adaptive coping mediates the relationship between academic expectation stress and academic resilience. These results add valuable insights to the existing literature in EFL teaching and learning, shedding light on the dynamics of these variables.