Role of Resilience in (De)Motivation and Second Language Proficiency: Cases of Korean Elementary School Students

The current study aims to explore the influence of resilience on (de)motivation and second language proficiency among elementary school students in South Korea. A total of 367 sixth-grade students completed questionnaires at three elementary schools. The data were analyzed with factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that resilience is composed of metacognitive adaptation, sociability, optimism, perseverance, and communicative efficacy. In terms of the influence of resilience, the SEM presents that the direct impact of resilience on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning motivation is greater than its impact on demotivation. Regarding the impact of EFL learning (de)motivation and resilience on English proficiency, EFL learning demotivation plays the most dominant role. The findings indicate that it is important to simultaneously sustain EFL learning motivation and prevent demotivation to help learners achieve their desired level of English proficiency in an EFL context.