A Comparative Study on the Relationship Between Learned Helplessness and Academic Performance in English Classes in Urban and Rural Junior High Schools

This study selected a total of 441 second-grade students from urban and rural schools in the same city in Guangdong Province as research subjects to explore the relationship between learned helplessness and academic performance in junior middle school English classes and compare the research results of the two schools. The results of the study found that the level of learned helplessness among rural junior high school students was significantly higher than that among urban junior high school students(The average level of learned helplessness among rural students is 3.87/5, while that among urban students is 3.54/5.). The average English score of rural junior high school students was significantly lower than that of urban junior high school students, with an average score difference of 9.35 points. Regardless of whether junior high school students were from urban or rural schools, learned helplessness in English classes had a significant negative impact on English test scores. Additionally, there was a causal relationship between the two, meaning that the level of learned helplessness would affect students' test scores.