The Roles of Proactive Personality and Foreign Language Grit in Iranian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) Learners’ Burnout

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of English Language and Literature, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

Abstract

Teaching and learning have long struggled with burnout, a condition of mental exhaustion. Burnout has turned out to be influenced by several antecedents; the effects of some such as self-efficacy, motivation, and enjoyment have already been addressed, whereas those of others remain to be considered. Due to persistent burnout among students and several unidentified contributing factors, this study investigates how proactive personality and L2 grit impact L2 burnout. The following are hypothesized: 1. proactive personality can negatively predict burnout among Iranian L2 learners. 2. L2 grit can negatively predict burnout among Iranian L2 learners. A total of 613 students, which comprise 315 females and 298 males, studying at various senior and junior high schools in Semnan, Iran, were selected through convenience sampling; they were provided with a questionnaire quantifying how proactive and gritty they are. Subsequently, the data was analyzed using SPSS 22, showing that both proactive personality and grit negatively predict burnout; proactive personality alone explained 6.4% of the variance (R² = .064), while L2 Grit explained 62.0% (R² = .620). It can be concluded that higher levels of both antecedents reduce learner burnout.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Alarcon, G. M., Edwards, J. M., & Menke, L. E. (2011). Student burnout and engagement: A test of the conservation of resources theory. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 145(3), 211–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2011.555432
Andolšek, J., & Salkić, A. (2023). Embracing the digital age: The impact of proactivity and big five personality traits on employee development. Dynamic Relationships Management Journal, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.17708/DRMJ.2023.v12n01a04
Aryee, S., Srinivas, E. S., & Tan, H. H. (2005). Rhythms of life: Antecedents and outcomes of work-family balance in employed parents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 132–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.1.132
Bachman, L. F. (2005). Statistical analyses for language assessment (J. C. Alderson & L. F. Bachman, Eds.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667350
Bakker, A. B., Van Der Zee, K. I., Lewig, K. A., & Dollard, M. F. (2006). The relationship between the Big Five personality factors and burnout: A study among volunteer counselors. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.146.1.31-50
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 14, 103–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030140202
Capone, V., Joshanloo, M., & Park, M. S. A. (2019). Burnout, depression, efficacy beliefs, and work-related variables among school teachers. International Journal of Educational Research, 95, 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.02.001
Changlek, A., & Palanukulwong, T. (2015). Motivation and grit: Predictors of language learning achievement. Veridian E-Journal, Silpakorn University (Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts), 8(4), 23–38.
Cong, Y., Yang, L., & Ergün, A. L. P. (2024). Exploring the relationship between burnout, learning engagement and academic self-efficacy among EFL learners: A structural equation modeling analysis. Acta Psychologica, 248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104394
Dai, K., & Wang, Y. (2023). Investigating the interplay of Chinese EFL teachers’ proactive personality, flow, and work engagement. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2174128
Din, S. U., Khan, M. A., Farid, H., & Rodrigo, P. (2023). Proactive personality: A bibliographic review of research trends and publications. Personality and Individual Differences, 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.112066
Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2009). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203864739
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Duru, E., Duru, S., & Balkis, M. (2014). Analysis of relationships among burnout, academic achievement, and self-regulation. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 14(4), 1274–1284. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2014.4.2050
Fan, N., Yang, C., Kong, F., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Low- to mid-level high school first-year EFL learners’ growth language mindset, grit, burnout, and engagement: Using serial mediation models to explore their relationships. System, 125, 103397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103397
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage Publications.
Fryer, L. K., Larson-Hall, J., & Stewart, J. (2018). Quantitative methodology. In A. Phakiti, P. De Costa, L. Plonsky, & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodology (pp. 55–77). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59900-1_3
Furnham, A., & Marks, J. (2013). Tolerance of ambiguity: A review of the recent literature. Psychology, 4(9), 717–728. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.49102
Han, C. (2023). Structural relations among achievement goals, perceptions of classroom goals, and grit. Current Psychology, 42, 16687–16697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02891-9
Harrison, V., Kemp, R., Brace, N., & Snelgar, R. (2021). SPSS for psychologists. Bloomsbury Publishing. www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.
Hejazi, S. Y., & Sadoughi, M. (2023). How does teacher support contribute to learners’ grit? The role of learning enjoyment. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 17(3), 593–606. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.2098961
Hodge, B., Wright, B., & Bennett, P. (2018). The role of grit in determining engagement and academic outcomes for university students. Research in Higher Education, 59(4), 448–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9474-y
Hu, X., Song, L., & He, Y. (2025). Modeling the relationships between growth language mindset, L2 grit, and foreign language learning burnout. BMC Psychology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02952-1
Kong, L.-N., Yang, L., Pan, Y.-N., & Chen, S.-Z. (2021). Proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout in undergraduate nursing students in China. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(4), 690–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.04.003
Leavitt, H. J., & Bahrami, H. (1988). Managerial psychology: Managing behavior in organizations. The University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.1177/017084068800900416
Li, C. (2020). Emotional intelligence and English achievement: The mediating effects of enjoyment, anxiety and burnout. Foreign Language World, 1, 69–78.
Li, C., Zhang, L. J., & Jiang, G. (2024). Conceptualisation and measurement of foreign language learning burnout among Chinese EFL students. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(4), 906–920. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1931246
Liu, D., Lin, Y., Jin, Y., Li, Z., Fu, K., & Yang, R. (2025). Impacts of proactive personality on students’ academic achievement: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1596032
Lyndon, M. P., Henning, M. A., Alyami, H., Krishna, S., Zeng, I., Yu, T. C., & Hill, A. G. (2017). Burnout, quality of life, motivation, and academic achievement among medical students: A person-oriented approach. Perspectives on Medical Education, 6(2), 108–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-017-0340-6
Ma, Y. (2024). The impact of academic self-efficacy and academic motivation on Chinese EFL students’ academic burnout. Learning and Motivation, 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2024.101959
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Does teacher burnout affect students? A systematic review of its association with academic achievement and student-reported outcomes. International Journal of Educational Research, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101714
Madigan, D. J., Kim, L. E., Glandorf, H. L., & Kavanagh, O. (2023). Teacher burnout and physical health: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102173
Major, D. A., Turner, J. E., & Fletcher, T. D. (2006). Linking proactive personality and the Big Five to motivation to learn and development activity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 927–935. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.927
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
Mei, Y., Yan, Y., & Shen, Y. (2024). How regulatory focus associates with Chinese EFL learners’ L2 grit: The mediating effects of achievement emotions. SAGE Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241243201
Miller, J. D., & Lynam, D. R. (2006). Reactive and proactive aggression: Similarities and differences. Personality and Individual Differences, 41(8), 1469–1480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.06.004
Ng, L. P., Choong, Y. O., Kuar, L. S., & Teoh, S. Y. (2024). Proactive personality and academic performance among undergraduate students: The mediating role of psychological capital. SAGE Open, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241282185
Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS survival manual. NSW. Australia: Allen & Unwin. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003117452
Parker, S. K., & Collins, C. G. (2010). Taking stock: Integrating and differentiating multiple proactive behaviors. Journal of Management, 36(3), 633–662. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308321554
Parker, S. K., & Sprigg, C. A. (1999). Minimizing strain and maximizing learning: The role of job demands, job control, and proactive personality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(6), 925–939. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.6.925
Robins, T. G., Roberts, R. M., & Sarris, A. (2017). The role of student burnout in predicting future burnout: Exploring the transition from university to the workplace. Higher Education Research and Development, 37(1), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1344827
Sadoughi, M., & Hejazi, S. Y. (2023). Teacher support, growth language mindset, and academic engagement: The mediating role of L2 grit. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101251
Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2005). The conceptualization and measurement of burnout: Common ground and worlds apart. Work and Stress, 19(3), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370500385913
Seibert, S. E., Crant, J. M., & Kraimer, M. L. (1999). Proactive personality and career success. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(3), 416–427. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.3.416
Song, Y. (2024). Assessing the interactions between learning enjoyment, motivation, burnout, and grit in EFL students: A mixed-methods approach. BMC Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359024-02303-6
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson Education.
Teimouri, Y., Plonsky, L., & Tabandeh, F. (2022). L2 grit: Passion and perseverance for second-language learning. Language Teaching Research, 26(5), 893–918. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820921895
Tseng, W. T., Dörnyei, Z., & Schmitt, N. (2006). A new approach to assessing strategic learning: The case of self-regulation in vocabulary acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 27(1), 78–102. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ami046
Vizoso, C., Arias-Gundín, O., & Rodríguez, C. (2019). Exploring coping and optimism as predictors of academic burnout and performance among university students. Educational Psychology, 39(6), 768–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1545996
Wei, R., Liu, H., & Wang, S. (2020). Exploring L2 grit in the Chinese EFL context. System, 93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102295
Zhang, X., Wang, J., & Ke, X. (2023). An investigation into academic burnout, enjoyment and engagement in EFL learning among Chinese junior high school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1292772
Zhu, X., Raquel, M., & Aryadoust, V. (2019). Structural equation modeling to predict performance in English proficiency tests. In Quantitative Data Analysis for Language Assessment Volume II (pp. 101–126). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315187808

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics