Socio-psychological factors influencing EFL learners’ development of English proficiency

Abstract

This study concludes that socio-psychological factors play a decisive role in shaping EFL learners’ English proficiency development. Among them, anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence are the most influential. A counselling-based holistic intervention involving students, teachers, parents, peers, and institutions can significantly improve English learning outcomes. In a nutshell, high anxiety leads to low confidence, which in turn leads to low motivation and ultimately results in poor academic performance. On the other hand, low anxiety leads to high confidence, which in turn leads to high motivation and ultimately results in good academic performance.