Fan Li

This study investigates the role of quality of information (QI) in shaping students’ engagement with GenAI, specifically focusing on the Doubao chatbot in undergraduate English learning. Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, the research examines how QI affects students’ perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), and ultimately their behavioral (BE), cognitive (CE), and emotional engagement (EE) with the tool. Data were collected from 110 undergraduate students. The findings revealed that QI significantly influences both PEU and PU, which subsequently affect students’ engagement. Notably, PEU exerted a stronger impact on engagement than PU. While PU drives behavioral engagement, it does not directly influence cognitive or emotional engagement. The results underscore the importance of high-quality, easy-to-use GenAI tools in enhancing student engagement. Developers and educators are encouraged to prioritize content quality and usability to foster deeper intrinsic motivation and long-term engagement.

The aim of this study is to examine how learning anxiety and involution influence students’ learning motivation, the interrelationships among anxiety, involution, and the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as the potential variations in these relationships among English major students in different educational backgrounds, specifically in Beijing and Macau. This study employed quantitative research methods to collect data on learning anxiety, involution, and motivation levels from university students in both cities. The results indicate that both groups exhibited motivation levels higher than the average, moderate levels of anxiety and involution, and significant effects of anxiety and involution on motivation. Furthermore, interconnections were observed among the four language skills. Moreover, variations in the results were found across different cultural backgrounds. This study holds important theoretical significance in understanding the impact of affect and positive psychology on English learning, as well as exploring the differences in English learning within diverse cultural contexts.

China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen regional connectivity so as to embrace a brighter future together. Since the Initiative was put forward, it has brought many challenges to China’s English education policy. By employing Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Word2Vec, this study analyzes the evolution of topics and challenges in China’s English education policy under the Belt and Road Initiative. The results indicate that after the initiative, the policy focus has changed. English education has shifted from testing abilities to cultivating students’ intercultural communication skills in order to meet the needs with countries alongside the “Belt and Road”. Moreover, teaching strategies that were examination-oriented have also changed to emphasizing teaching methods and feedback. The focus and teaching strategies have also undergone great changes. China’s English education policy has shifted from focusing on improving students’ writing skills, English proficiency, and creativity to conducting in-depth research and addressing specific issues, including challenges in linguistics, media influence, educational institutions and programs, online courses, attitudes and self-efficacy, use of multiple languages and globalization, teaching issues, and curriculum design. These findings shed light on how the Belt and Road Initiative changed China’s English education policy and provide further directions for future research.