The Mediating Effect of Language Anxiety on the Relationship between Cultural Sensitivity, Emotional Intelligence, and English Proficiency among Multicultural Language Learners

Abstract

In today's globalized world, English learning is a significant medium of intercultural communication and international interactions in cultural, economic, and political domains. Therefore, the current research explored the mediating effect of language anxiety in the relation between cultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, and English language achievement among multicultural language learners. The research was based on a correlational design using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Participants were 300 multicultural language learners who were selected through cluster sampling procedures. Data were collected by administering questionnaires of cultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, language anxiety, and learners' final-term English grades. Pearson's correlation coefficient and SEM analyses were conducted using SPSS 24 and Amos 23 software. Results indicated that cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence directly and significantly contributed to learning English. Moreover, these constructs indirectly affected learners' language achievement through the mediating effect of language anxiety. The research concludes that the development of cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence can be an effective method for reducing language anxiety and subsequently enhancing English learning among multicultural learners.