Positive psychology approaches to alleviating foreign language classroom anxiety among university students: insights from self-efficacy, flow, and self-compassion

Recent research in second language acquisition (SLA) has increasingly applied positive psychology to improve learning outcomes and reduce foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA). However, the field still lacks an integrative framework that captures how cognitive appraisals and affective resources jointly shape the emotional processes that lead to reduced FLCA. Guided by Control-Value Theory and Broaden-and-Build Theory, this study examines the roles of self-efficacy, flow experience, and self-compassion in shaping FLCA among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A total of 1,352 EFL learners from multiple universities in China completed a cross-sectional survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediating role of flow experience in the relationship between self-efficacy and FLCA, as well as the moderating role of self-compassion in the link between self-efficacy and flow experience. Self-efficacy showed a significant adverse effect on FLCA, and flow experience mediated this association. Furthermore, self-compassion moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and flow experience, with the association being weaker among learners with lower self-compassion. These findings suggest that fostering self-efficacy, promoting flow, and nurturing self-compassion may help reduce classroom anxiety and enhance learning outcomes, thereby contributing to more supportive language-learning environments.