Data-Driven Analysis of EFL Teaching Factors: Classroom Environment and Collaboration Effects on Students’ Performance: A Study at Secondary Schools of Guiyang City, China
Keywords:
behavioral; cognitive and emotional performance; collaborative learning; English as a Foreign Language classroom environment; physical and social environment; student performance; SmartPLSAbstract
This study aims to establish and validate a theoretical framework to examine the effects of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom environment and collaborative learning on students’ performance. Through rigorous data analysis, this research seeks to enhance understanding of how these factors influence student outcomes in English language learning. A quantitative research design was employed, using a questionnaire to collect data from 293 English teachers at secondary schools across the Nanming District, Guiyang City. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS for structural equation modeling. The results indicate that both the EFL classroom environment and collaborative learning have statistically significant positive relationships with student performance (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of fostering a supportive classroom atmosphere and implementing collaborative learning strategies to enhance educational outcomes. Based on the results, it is recommended that education authorities encourage English teachers to adopt collaborative learning methods and update their pedagogical skills to better facilitate student engagement and performance. Additionally, schools should be equipped with essential teaching resources and effective classroom environments to support the teaching-learning process.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.10.44References
Akbarovna, I. S. (2024). Professional skills of the teacher. WORLD OF SCIENCE, 7(8), 1–7.
Alias, M. F. B., Rahman, R., Mahaiyadin, M. H. B., Rivauzi, A., Subri, I. B. M., Wirdati, W., & Sulaiman, S. (2024). Implementation of Cooperative Script Model in Teaching Islamic Education in Elementary School. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research of Higher Education (IJMURHICA),7(1), 13-24.
Al-Murtadha, M. (2025). Motivating second language learners with a possible selves’ intervention program. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 24(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2022.2075874
Alrashidi, O., & Alshammari, S. H. (2025). The effects of self-efficacy, teacher support, and positive academic emotions on student engagement in online courses among EFL university students.Education and Information Technologies,30(6), 8139–8157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13139-3
Alzubi, A. A. F., Nazim, M., & Ahmad, J. (2025). Identifying English as a foreign language students’ attitude to improving speaking skills through collaboration. Journal of Education and Learning, 19(1), 180–190.
Alzubi, A. A., Nazim, M., & Ahamad, J. (2024). Examining the effect of a collaborative learning intervention on EFL students’ English learning and social interaction. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 8(2), 26–46.
Ang, J. A. A., Ang, J. M. T., & Ong Hian Huy, T. E. T. (2025). Analyzing the effects of air quality on the de la salle university students and staff’s respiratory health in the manila and laguna campuses. https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/poster_see/2/
Bensalem, E., Derakhshan, A., Alenazi, F. H., Thompson, A. S., & Harizi, R. (2025). Modeling the contribution of grit, enjoyment, and boredom to predict English as a foreign language students’ willingness to communicate in a blended learning environment. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 132(1), 144–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125241289192
Bhandari, B. L., & Bhandari, S. (2024). English language teaching problems in nepal: Teachers’ perspectives. Journal of NELTA, 29(1), 141–155. https://doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v29i1.72642
Bunmy, C., Nuangchalerm, P., & Dejtrakulwongse, P. (2025). Exploring success factors to improve preservice EFL teacher education program in thailand. World Journal of English Language, 15(5), 335–335.
Chan, J. Y. H., & Walsh, S. (2024). English learning and use in Hong Kong’s bilingual education: Implications for L2 learners’ development of interactional competence. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 34(1), 183-205.
Chen, Y. (2025). Narrative inquiry into empathy and language teacher professional identity: Case studies in Chinese secondary public schools and private tutoring institutions [PhD Thesis, University of Southampton]. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/502254/
Chin, W.W. (1998b). “The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling”. In Modern Methods for Business Research. Marcoulides, G.A. (ed.), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. pp. I295–1336.
Cirocki, A., Anam, S., & Retnaningdyah, P. (2019). Readiness for autonomy in English language learning: The case of Indonesian high school students. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 7(2), 1-18.
Cohen, S. (1988). Psychosocial models of the role of social support in the etiology of physical disease. Health Psychology, 7(3), 269. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.7.3.269
Cronbach, L.J. (1994). “Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests,”. Psychometrika, 16: 3. pp. 297–334.
Cutrim Schmid, E. (2024). ‘I think it’s boring if you now only speak English’: enhancing learner investment in EFL learning through the use of plurilingual tasks. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 16(1), 67-81.
Dauzón-Ledesma, L., & Izquierdo, J. (2023). Language learning investment in Higher Education: Validation and implementation of a Likert-scale questionnaire in the context of compulsory EFL Learning. Education Sciences, 13(4), 370.
Derakhshan, A., Fathi, J., Pawlak, M., & Kruk, M. (2024). Classroom social climate, growth language mindset, and student engagement: The mediating role of boredom in learning English as a foreign language. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(8), 3415–3433. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2099407
Dewaele, J. M., Botes, E., & Meftah, R. (2023). A three-body problem: The effects of foreign language anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom on academic achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 43, 7-22.
Ding, N., Wang, Y., & Wang, Y. (2025). English as a foreign language teacher’s well-being, resilience, and burnout. Porta Linguarum Revista Interuniversitaria de Didáctica de Las Lenguas Extranjeras, 43. https://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/portalin/article/view/28350
Egitim, S. (2025). Collaborative leadership in English language classrooms: Engaging learners in leaderful classroom practices and strategies. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(1), 32–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1990413
Ezeaku, S. N., & Okoye, A. C. (2025). Best strategies for ensuring a good organizational climate in secondary schools in anambra state. Unizik Journal of Educational Laws and Leadership Studies, 1(1). https://unilaws.org/unilaws/article/view/24
Fan, Y., & Xie, Z. (2025). Exploring preservice EFL teacher anxiety in the teaching practicum: An ecological case study in China. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 34(2), 675–687. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00887-6
Feng, Z., Hou, H. C., & Lan, H. (2024). Understanding university students’ perceptions of classroom environment: A synergistic approach integrating grounded theory (GT) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Journal of Building Engineering, 83, 108446.
Fisher, R., Tran, Q., & Verezub, E. (2024). Teaching English as a foreign language in higher education using flipped learning/flipped classrooms: A literature review. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 18(4), 332–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.2302984
Fornell, C. & Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research. v.18, n. 1, p. 39-50,
Fradana, A. N., & Suwarta, N. (2025). Artificial intelligence driven literacy practices in early language education. Academia Open, 10(1), 10–21070.
Fraser, B. J., & Teh, G. P. L. (1994). Effect sizes associated with micro-prolog-based computer-assisted learning. Computers & Education, 23(3), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1315(05)80010-7
Fraser, B. J. (1986), Effects of classroom climate on student outcomes: A replication in two developing countries. Singapore Journal of Education, 6 (2), 60-63.
Fraser, K. (2025). What is SEL, anyway?: Teacher perceptions of social-emotional learning in high-and low-income schools. https://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/15002?v=pdf
Giday, D. G., & Perumal, E. (2024). Students’ perception of attending online learning sessions post-pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100755.
Gong, A. J., Bolsegui, M. L., Lee, E. E., Mathai, S. C., & Weiss, C. R. (2024). Assessing the psychometric validity of the epistaxis severity score: internal consistency and test–retest reliability. American journal of rhinology & allergy, 38(1), 38-46.
Guo, S., Li, N., Sun, X., Peng, J., & Fraser, M. W. (2023). The moderating effects of school resources on the impact of a school?based intervention on the social information?processing skills of third graders in rural China. Journal of Community Psychology, 51(2), 539–559. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22858
Guo, Y., & Wang, Y. (2025). Exploring the effects of artificial intelligence application on EFL students’ academic engagement and emotional experiences: A mixed?methods study. European Journal of Education, 60(1), e12812. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12812
Guzman, M. Z. T., Brillantes, J. K. D., Muñoz, A. J. A., Galvez, L. I. R. D., Tadeo, K. A. C., Mawagay, V. J. A., Flores, J. M. R., Sari, K. P., Heo, J., & Bongar, M. V. (2025). Inhinyerong bahaghari: The academic experiences of gay engineering students in a masculine-dominated program. https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/poster_ghi/1/
Kamila, D. N. S., Nurkamto, J., & Haryati, S. (2025). EFL teacher strategy for promoting students’ intercultural communication competence: A case study at a senior high school. Celtic: A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, 12(1), 533–556.
Kaya, E. A., & Avara, H. (2025). Education informatics network-based blended learning in high school English as a foreign language context. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, 10(1), 44–57.
Konarasinghe, W. G. S. (2023). Journal of New Frontiers in Mathematics and Statistics.
Korkmaz, M., & AKÇAY, A. O. (2024). Determining digital literacy levels of primary school teachers.Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, 9(1), 1-16.
Kostøl, E. M. F. (2025). Teachers’ co-regulation in classrooms: A video-based analysis of teachers’ foci of attention in emotional situations. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2025.2455505
Kundu, A., & Bej, T. (2025). Transforming EFL teaching with AI: A systematic review of empirical studies. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-025-00470-0
Lau, W. S., & Shea, M. (2024). Empowering English learners in the classroom through culturally responsive social-emotional teaching practices. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(7), 2880–2897. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2078337
Lewin, K. (1936). A dynamic theory of personality: Selected papers. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 84(5), 612–613. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-193611000-00051
Li, Y., Kang, L., Li, Z., Jiang, F., Bi, N., Du, T., & Abiri, M. (2024). Time-aware outlier detection in health physique monitoring in edge-aided sport education decision-makings. Journal of Cloud Computing, 13(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13677-024-00636-6
Liu, G. L., Soyoof, A., Lee, J. S., & Zhang, L. J. (2025). Informal digital learning of English in asian english as a foreign language context: A thematic review. RELC Journal, 00336882251332309. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882251332309
Liu, H., & Chu, W. (2024). Uncovering English as a foreign language teacher resilience: A structural equation modeling approach. Applied Linguistics Review, 15(6), 2755–2774. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2022-0172
Liu, H., Li, X., & Yan, Y. (2025). Demystifying the predictive role of students’ perceived foreign language teacher support in foreign language anxiety: The mediation of L2 grit. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(4), 1095–1108. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2223171
Liu, X., Zhang, Y., & Cao, X. (2024). Achievement goal orientations in college students: Longitudinal trajectories, related factors, and effects on academic performance. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39(3), 2033–2055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00764-8
Ma, L., Li, B., & Guo, H. (2025). Can teacher support moderate the link between family socioeconomic status and critical thinking dispositions among foreign language learners? Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2025.2475934
McVey, G. F. (2024). Modifying the home into a learning environment. Education, 91(4), 323-32.
Mertens, D. M. (2024). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage publications.
Mirzayeva, A. (2025). Harnessing AI tools in teaching English: Innovations and implications. Path of Science, 11(1), 1001–1005.
Mohammed, A. S., Amoah, C., & Abdulai, I. B. (2025). Technology integration on infrastructure to support educational needs in a college in ghana. Infrastructure Asset Management, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1680/jinam.24.00030
Omidvar, S., & Meihami, H. (2025). Exploring the “what” and “how” of opportunities and challenges of AI in EFL teacher education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 100443.
Osegbue, G. C. (2025). Crisis intervention and response in educational institutions: Developing and implementing plans in developing countries. African Journal of Educational Management, Teaching and Entrepreneurship Studies, 15(1). https://www.ajemates.org/index.php/ajemates/article/view/724
Özdemir, H. N. Ç., Ayran, G., & Topuz, Ç. (2024). Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the parental competence scale for parents of children with autism. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 74, 122-128.
Özdemir, N., Gümü?, S., K?l?nç, A. Ç., & Belliba?, M. ?. (2024). A systematic review of research on the relationship between school leadership and student achievement: An updated framework and future direction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(5), 1020–1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221118662
Padron, Y. N., Waxman, H. C., & Huang, S. Y. L. (2024). Classroom Behavior and Learning Environment Differences Between Resilient and Nonresilient.. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 4(1), 65-82.
Palacios-Hidalgo, F. J., & Huertas-Abril, C. A. (2025). Developing digital literacy in initial EFL teacher education: A study in a spanish distance university. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 40(1), 50–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2022.2157709
Patall, E. A., Yates, N., Lee, J., Chen, M., Bhat, B. H., Lee, K., Beretvas, S. N., Lin, S., Man Yang, S., Jacobson, N. G., Harris, E., & Hanson, D. J. (2024a). A meta-analysis of teachers’ provision of structure in the classroom and students’ academic competence beliefs, engagement, and achievement. Educational Psychologist, 59(1), 42–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2023.2274104
Pongpanich, W., Chomthong, W., Choeykhunthot, A., Tammati, K., Rangkharat, P., & Jantakoon, T. (2025). Exploring flipped classrooms in EFL teaching: A comprehensive systematic review. Higher Education Studies, 15(2), 23–36.
Ramzan, M., Akram, H., & kynat Javaid, Z. (2025). Challenges and psychological influences in teaching English as a medium of instruction in pakistani institutions. Social Science Review Archives, 3(1), 370–379.
Ren, B., & Pan, X. (2025). Understanding EFL teacher identity and identity tensions in a Chinese university context. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 35(1), 363–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12622
Rogers, P., & Barboza, F. (2024). Unlocking VB-SEM: Practical PLS-SEM Tutorial Using JASP for Variance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (No. 2ne8f). Center for Open Science.
Rustandi, A. (2025). A case study of an international teaching practicum program in thailand: Indonesian EFL teacher trainees’ teaching strategies, challenges, and intercultural sensitivity level. http://repository.unigal.ac.id/handle/123456789/6476
Sampurna, P. C., & Susanto, R. (2025). Implementation of STEAM in pesantren curriculum: An experimental study based on local wisdom. Journal of Islamic Studies and Educational Innovation, 1(2), 256–272.
Sanjani, M. A. F. (2024). The impact of school principals on graduate quality through character education initiatives. Journal of Educational Management Research, 3(1), 30–46.
Sharan, F. (1994). Creative menopause. Wisdome. https://www.soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/02/0201hyglibcat/020169.sharan.menopause.pdf
Shahzad, M. F., Xu, S., & Zahid, H. (2025). Exploring the impact of generative AI-based technologies on learning performance through self-efficacy, fairness & ethics, creativity, and trust in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 30(3), 3691–3716. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12949-9
Shen, H., Ye, X., Zhang, J., & Huang, D. (2024). Investigating the role of perceived emotional support in predicting learners’ well-being and engagement mediated by motivation from a self-determination theory framework. Learning and Motivation, 86, 101968.
Shou, Z., Xie, M., Mo, J., & Zhang, H. (2024). Predicting student performance in online learning: A multidimensional time-series data analysis approach. Applied Sciences, 14(6), 2522.
Solhi, M. (2024). Do L2 teacher support and peer support predict L2 speaking motivation in online classes? The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(4), 829–842. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00767-5
Streiner, D. L., Norman, G. R., & Cairney, J. (2024). Health measurement scales: a practical guide to their development and use. Oxford university press.
Ton-Nu, A. T., & Newton, J. (2025). ‘this is something beyond their capacity’: Teacher educators’ cognition of L2 pragmatics and challenges of its integration into EFL teacher education: an exploratory study in vietnam. Language Teaching Research, 13621688251344894. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688251344894
Wahdania, R., Akmal, N., & Ahmad, A. T. (2025). The role of school well-being on student engagement in students of SMA negeri 1 polewali. Journal of Correctional Issues, 8(1), 157–164.
Wang, A., & Yang, H. (2025). Predicting English as a foreign language learners’ motivation through teachers’ credibility and self-efficacy: Using structural equation modeling. Porta Linguarum: Revista Internacional de Didáctica de Las Lenguas Extranjeras, 43, 253–271.
Wang, C., Wang, H., Li, Y., Dai, J., Gu, X., & Yu, T. (2025). Factors influencing university students’ behavioral intention to use generative artificial intelligence: Integrating the theory of planned behavior and AI literacy. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41(11), 6649–6671. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2383033
Wang, H., Wang, B., & Cui, Y. (2024). Reflections on the Construction Path of Smart Classroom in Colleges and Universities under the Background of Internet Plus. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 8(3), 220-226.
Wang, J., Zhou, H., Chen, S., Tong, H., & Yang, Y. (2024). How teachers support secondary school students to become self-regulated learners in technology-enhanced language learning. System, 123, 103313.
Wu, X., & Li, R. (2024). Effects of robot-assisted language learning on English-as-a-foreign-language skill development. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 62(4), 790–814. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331231226171
Yadewani, D., & Duraipandi, O. (2024). Pilot Study: Determinants of Small and Medium Business Performance. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management and Technology (AJMT), 4(3), 45-53.
Yang, Y., Cui, Y., & Yao, S. (2024). Teacher support, grit and L2 willingness to communicate: The mediating effect of foreign language enjoyment. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 383. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01877-5
Yoon, B. (2008). Uninvited guests: The influence of teachers’ roles and pedagogies on the positioning of English language learners in the regular classroom. American educational research journal, 45(2), 495-522.
Zhang, D., & Hwang, G. J. (2023). Effects of interaction between peer assessment and problem-solving tendencies on students’ learning achievements and collaboration in mobile technology-supported project-based learning. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 61(1), 208-234.
Zhang, Q. (2025). The role of EFL teacher immediacy and teacher-student rapport in boosting motivation to learn and academic mindsets in online education. Learning and Motivation, 89, 102092.
Zhang, Y., & Darvin, R. (2025). Negotiating gender ideologies and investing in teacher identities: The motivation and investment of EFL pre-service teachers. System, 133, 103669.
Zhang, Y., & Darvin, R. (2025). Negotiating gender ideologies and investing in teacher identities: The motivation and investment of EFL pre-service teachers. System, 133, 103669.
Zhang, Y., & Jiang, Z. (2025). Modeling the interplay between teacher support, anxiety and grit in predicting feedback-seeking behavior in L2 writing. Assessing Writing, 64, 100920.
Zikmund, P., Horpatzká, M., & Macík, M. (2024). Learning effect in joystick tactile guidance. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 17(4), 567–577. https://doi.org/10.1109/TOH.2024.3368663
Zou, B., Wang, C., Yan, Y., Du, X., & Ji, Y. (2025). Exploring English as a foreign language learners’ adoption and utilisation of ChatGPT for speaking practice through an extended technology acceptance model. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 35(2), 689–704. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12658
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lou Minfang, Ooi Boon Keat, Ali Sorayyaei Azar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published by IJLTER are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International License (CCBY-NC-ND4.0).
