How do grit and emotions shape university students’ motivation in learning English as a foreign language?

This study examined the interplay between grit (i.e., consistency of interest/CI & perseverance of effort/PE), emotions (i.e., foreign language enjoyment/FLE & foreign language boredom/FLB), and motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation/IM & extrinsic motivation/EM) among university students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). It aimed to explore how grit (CI & PE) and emotions (FLE & FLB) shape the EFL learning motivation (IM & EM) of science majors. A total of 706 science-major EFL students from a university in Central China voluntarily participated in this study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire designed to measure students' grit, emotions, and motivation towards EFL learning. The results indicated that both grit and emotions significantly predicted motivation. Specifically, PE directly predicted both IM and EM, whereas CI was not a significant direct predictor of either IM or EM. Furthermore, while FLE and FLB respectively predicted IM and EM, FLE emerged as a stronger predictor of motivation. Lastly, both PE and CI indirectly predicted motivation (i.e., IM and EM) through the mediation of emotions (i.e., FLE and FLB). Overall, students who demonstrate grit and experience enjoyment in language learning tend to show higher levels of motivation in EFL learning. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for EFL teachers on how to harness grit and emotions to enhance learners' motivation in EFL learning. Limitations of the study are also acknowledged.