Integrating Language Growth Beliefs and Regulatory Experience: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Language Mindset and Regulation Inventory in a Thai EFL Setting

This mixed-methods study examined how language growth beliefs and related regulatory and emotional processes were represented in the Language Mindset and Regulation Inventory (LMRI) and explained in Thai undergraduate learners’ accounts of English learning. A quantitatively driven embedded survey design was used. The quantitative strand comprised 1565 complete responses to 21 six-point LMRI items, while the qualitative strand comprised responses to five open-ended prompts. Principal component analysis with Promax rotation identified three provisional components explaining 69.0% of the total variance: Growth Language Beliefs, Self-Regulated Language Resilience, and Language Confidence Under Challenge. Reflexive thematic analysis generated five themes: growth-oriented beliefs amid present limitations, purposeful goals and progress regulation, mistakes and feedback as resources for improvement, managing emotions to sustain participation, and contextual challenges and sources of support. The qualitative findings complemented the first two components by showing that learners’ beliefs in improvement were expressed through goal setting, practice, progress monitoring, feedback use, persistence, and emotional regulation. However, learners may believe that their English will improve while still experiencing limited confidence, anxiety, unclear goals, or difficulty participating. The qualitative findings also elaborated the third component by identifying experiences of criticism, discouragement and emotional vulnerability. The findings suggest that language growth beliefs, emotional experiences, and regulatory processes are related but theoretically distinct. Therefore, the LMRI should be regarded as a preliminary inventory that requires further factor analysis, independent confirmation, and broader validity evidence.