Beyond the Yawn: Analyzing the Situation and Causes of Boredom in Chinese English Learning Contexts

Abstract

Emotions, often overlooked yet significant, played a vital role in second language acquisition. Despite the rise of positive psychology and control-value theory, the exploration of boredom in second language context remained limited. This study examined the English learning boredom of 446 college students from two universities using SPSS 26.0 and NVivo 11.0, supplemented by an open-ended question. The findings revealed that: (1) Most students experienced a moderate level of boredom in English learning; (2) There was a correlation between the onset of English learning and boredom, with those starting in junior high school feeling more bored than those beginning in primary school; (3) Factors contributing to boredom included individual characteristics, teacher influences, course content, and classroom environment.