Mitigating Students’ Anxiety: The Role of Resilience and Mindfulness Among Chinese EFL Learners
Yanfei Shen
Frontiers in Psychology July 5, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.940443 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 502 |
| Population | Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) learners |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness and resilience together significantly predicted anxiety in 502 Chinese EFL learners, indicating that higher levels of these constructs are associated with lower language anxiety. The authors argue that mindfulness and resilience can serve as resources for alleviating students' foreign language anxiety. |
Abstract
To manage the undesirable effect of anxiety on students, a wide scope of research has been dedicated to determining the triggers of anxiety and pedagogical interferences that can assist students with mitigating anxiety. Mindfulness is a relaxation strategy that has been related to constructive impacts when utilized as a managing technique for stress and anxiety. Originating from the construct of mindfulness, there is a multidimensional conception acknowledged as resilience as one of the notions in the Positive Psychology (PP) literature, which highlights the organizations and individuals’ strengths and self-control to comply with accidental states. Given the eminence of mindfulness and resilience in learning situations, the present study sets forth to examine the role of these constructs in alleviating English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ anxiety. To meet this objective, 502 Chinese EFL learners took part in this research. They were asked to respond to the three questionnaires, namely resilience, mindfulness, and anxiety. To answer the research question of the study, a linear multiple regression was run and the findings demonstrated that mindfulness and resilience together could significantly predict anxiety. Consistent with the findings, some recommendations are presented concerning the implications of the present research.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Mindfulness and foreign language learners’ self-perceived proficiency: the mediating roles of anxiety and burnout Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development January 24, 2023
- The effects of trait mindfulness on Chinese EFL learners’ public speaking anxiety Discover Education September 28, 2026
- Does mindfulness mediate the relationship between anxiety and second language performance? A meta-analytic structural equation modeling study Frontiers in Psychology August 14, 2026
- The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Test Anxiety Among High School Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation and Psychological Resilience Psychology in the Schools August 4, 2025
- Calm the Mind, Unlock the Voice: A Bayesian Longitudinal Analysis of Mindfulness and EFL Speaking Anxiety International Journal of Applied Linguistics June 26, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 9
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition Choice Reviews Online July 1, 2005
- A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial The Lancet Public Health December 18, 2017
- Distinct Neural Activity Associated with Focused-Attention Meditation and Loving-Kindness Meditation PLoS One August 15, 2012
- Loving-Kindness Meditation and the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions Among Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Medical Care November 13, 2014
and 4 more in the library