Unveiling Bidirectional Relationships Between Foreign Language Enjoyment and Growth Language Mindset: A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT This longitudinal study examined the bidirectional relationships between growth language mindset (GLM) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) at both the construct and subdimension levels. Questionnaire data were collected from 550 Chinese university EFL learners across three waves in one semester. The cross‐lagged panel model (CLPM) was employed to examine the bidirectional relationship between GLM and FLE, and cross‐lagged panel networks were estimated to capture subdimension‐specific longitudinal associations. At the construct level, bidirectional relationships were found between GLM and FLE across both intervals, with the GLM→FLE path significantly stronger in the later interval. At the subdimension level, the primary networks identified a broader pattern of cross‐construct lagged associations, retaining nine pathways from Wave 1 to Wave 2 and 14 from Wave 2 to Wave 3. This broader multidimensional pattern was not reproduced under person‐mean centering. The pathway from general language intelligence beliefs to private enjoyment was the only cross‐construct pathway retained across both intervals in both the primary and person‐mean‐centered networks. Overall, the findings indicate reciprocal construct‐level associations alongside considerable specification sensitivity in the broader subdimension‐level network.