The Relationship between EFL Enjoyment and Academic Achievement The case of Third Year Students in the Foreign Languages Branch at Aissa Hamitouch Secondary School

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate whether there is a correlation between EFL enjoyment and academic achievement. At the beginning of our research, we hypothesized that there is a positive relationship between the two variables, and to confirm this hypothesis, we used the correlation method because it is the most appropriate to deal with this topic. The main objectives of this study are to clarify the relationship between EFL enjoyment and academic achievement, make teachers aware of the importance of EFL enjoyment, and to increase students' EFL enjoyment in the classroom. As for the tools used to reach those objectives, they are questionnaires and test scores. The present study consists of three chapters. Chapter one reviews the literature on EFL enjoyment and identifies the factors that shape and contribute to it, as well as those that can influence it. Furthermore, this chapter identifies strategies that can be used to increase EFL enjoyment, and the relationship between EFL enjoyment and academic achievement. The second chapter reviews the literature on academic achievement and identifies the factors that can predict and influence it. As for the third chapter, it was an applied part dedicated to analyzing the data obtained from the questionnaire that was directed to a sample of 17 third-year students in the foreign languages branch at Aissa Hamitouch Secondary School in order to measure their levels of EFL enjoyment. This chapter is also devoted to using and analyzing students' test scores obtained from their teacher to measure their academic achievement in order to calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient between the two variables to see if there is a correlation between them. The present study found that there is a strong positive relationship between EFL enjoyment and academic achievement, which confirms the hypothesis. These findings indicate that enhancing EFL enjoyment in language classes can lead to better academic outcomes. According to the results, it appears that there are other factors affecting enjoyment, which are the teacher's teaching style, learning environment, students' motivation, and students' priorV knowledge of the language. Investigating these factors can provide valuable insights into promoting and maximizing enjoyment in EFL classrooms, ultimately enhancing students' academic achievemen