Grit and foreign language achievement among Chinese university EFL students: a mixed-methods approach

Abstract Studies examining the relationship between grit and foreign language (FL) achievement have yielded inconsistent results. Furthermore, research on factors influencing grit is limited and primarily employs quantitative methodologies. To address these gaps, this study aims to reevaluate the link between grit and FL achievement among Chinese university students and identify factors influencing their grit by using a mixed-methods approach. In this study, 260 third- and fourth-year English major students participated in a questionnaire survey, and 35 of them also underwent semi-structured interviews. Through multiple regression analysis of the questionnaires, it was found that grit and FL achievement significantly and positively correlated with each other and grit significantly predicted FL achievement. The interview results showed that four major factors, namely individual-related factors, significant others, achievement-related experiences, and important external factors, affected grit. These results corroborate the positive role of grit in second language acquisition (SLA) and offer valuable pedagogical insights for L2 educators.