Social support in class and learning burnout among Chinese EFL learners in higher education: Are academic buoyancy and class level important?

The prevalence and adverse effects of learning burnout are a major concern in higher education. Based upon JD-R and COR theories, this study modeled the associations among social support that teachers and peers provide in class, academic buoyancy, learning burnout, and class level with respect to the degree of English proficiency. A sample of 1955 Chinese EFL learners in higher education participated in the cross-sectional survey. Structural equation modelling via partial least squares technique was utilized for statistical analysis. The results corroborated the protecting role that social support in class played against EFL students’ learning burnout. In particular, the findings revealed that academic buoyancy both mediated and moderated the nexus between social support on EFL learners’ burnout. Moreover, this study found that class level with respect to English proficiency moderated the relation between academic buoyancy and learning burnout and that the negative impact of academic buoyancy on burnout increased in classes in which students had lower English proficiency. Based upon the findings, certain targeted suggestions for educational practice were provided.