Issues in Language Teaching

Assessing the Contribution of EFL Learners’ Motivation, Enjoyment, and Self-Regulation to their Aural Vocabulary Knowledge

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyed Mohammad Reza Amirian 1
Maryam Sabouri 2
Seyedeh Khadijeh Amirian 3
Mostafa Azari Noughabi 4

1 Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

2 Postdoctoral researcher in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Tabriz

3 Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

4 PhD in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2026.90803.958
Abstract
Vocabulary knowledge is a central component of language competence, yet the aural dimension of vocabulary and its psychological correlates remain underexplored in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. Addressing this gap, this study examined whether Iranian EFL learners’ second language (L2) motivation, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning predict their aural vocabulary knowledge (AVK). A total of 122 undergraduate EFL students at Hakim Sabzevary University completed four instruments: the Motivation Questionnaire (Taguchi et al., 2009), the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), the Self-Regulation Scale (Tseng et al., 2006), and the AVK Test (Taguchi & Kaya, 2019). Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted using SPSS. The results showed that enjoyment and self-regulation were significantly correlated with AVK, whereas L2 motivation was not. In the regression model, only self-regulation significantly predicted AVK, highlighting the pivotal role of learners’ self-regulatory capacity in aural vocabulary development. Path analysis further revealed a significant indirect effect of enjoyment on AVK through self-regulation, indicating that enjoyment facilitates AVK primarily by enhancing learners’ self-regulatory behaviours. These findings underscore the importance of fostering both enjoyment and self-regulation in pedagogical interventions aimed at improving EFL learners’ AVK and, by extension, their listening proficiency.

Keywords

aural vocabulary knowledge
enjoyment
L2 motivation
self-regulation
vocabulary learning
Subjects
Issues in Language Teaching

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 July 2026

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