Uncovering the Relationship between English Learning Burnout and Academic Achievement in a Chinese EFL Context

This study examines English learning burnout as an affective risk factor in Chinese EFL education. Framed by Control-Value Theory (CVT), it focuses on whether burnout is visible in the sample, how it relates to English achievement, and whether it is better understood as a multidimensional construct. Data were collected from 640 students recruited from one regular public senior high school in eastern China, and achievement was measured with formal school-based English examination scores reported on a 150-point scale. Burnout was generally low to moderate, but demotivation
was somewhat more pronounced than exhaustion. Correlation analyses showed that English achievement was negatively related to exhaustion, demotivation, and global burnout, with the strongest association emerging for the overall burnout index. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model consisting of exhaustion and demotivation, and model-based composite reliability values indicated satisfactory internal consistency for the two subscales and the global burnout score. More broadly, the findings suggest that even relatively moderate burnout symptoms can carry
academic significance in examination-oriented EFL settings, where students may continue to meet classroom requirements while gradually losing emotional energy and motivational commitment. The study therefore highlights the need to identify burnout early and to distinguish between fatigue-related strain and value-related disengagement when interpreting students’ English learning experience