The Effects of Gender and Academic Backgrounds on the Structural Model of English Achievement

The Effects of Gender and Academic Backgrounds on the Structural Model of English Achievement

  The present study examines the causal relationships among factors that directly or indirectly influence English achievement for Korean university students using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. In this regard, three SEM models are developed to identify a model of L2 achievement that best explains the structural paths leading to increased English achievement for Korean students. The effects of gender and academic backgrounds on the structural model of English achievement are further gauged by multi-sample analyses. Results of the SEM analyses indicate that motivation and self-confidence were causally related to English achievement, whereas various L2 orientations indirectly influenced English achievement through motivation and self-confidence. Among the many L2 orientations, the intrinsic and extrinsic dichotomy showed a better fit of the model to the data than the integrative and instrumental orientation. Extrinsic motivation, however, was found to have an insignificant influence on self-confidence, thus highlighting the importance of intrinsic motivation for the Korean sample. Results of the multi-sample analyses suggest that there was no gender effect on the proposed model of English achievement. However, the strength of the relation between intrinsic motivation and self-confidence proved to be significantly stronger for the humanities than for the sciences. Pedagogical implications are provided.