Microsystem components and EFL achievement in adolescence: A network analysis

Drawing on ecological systems theory, we investigate how microsystem components (i.e., individual characteristics and the family, school, and peer environments) collectively relate to English as a foreign language (EFL) achievement. To this end, we administered a cross-sectional questionnaire to 1395 Chinese middle school students and conducted a network analysis to model these relationships. The results indicated that dimensions of study engagement (dedication and vigor), teacher support, and family socioeconomic status (SES) were directly and positively associated with EFL achievement, whereas student cohesiveness, classroom order, classmate support, and friend support exhibited weak negative associations. Dedication operated as a central node whose activation had widespread consequences across the entire network. Parental support emerged as a key bridge node linking dimensions of distinct microsystem components. Furthermore, the directional associations among task orientation, student cohesiveness, and EFL achievement differed significantly between junior and senior high school students. Overall, the findings suggest that microsystem associations with EFL achievement operate through multiple pathways, vary in magnitude across the dimensions of the four microsystem components, and differ by developmental stage, underscoring the need for integrative, system-level approaches to improving adolescents' foreign language learning.