Reading motivation, subjective well-being, reading self-esteem and reading comprehension achievement of Chinese EFL University students

Empirical studies on the relationships among reading motivation, subjective wellbeing, and reading comprehension, with reading self-esteem as a mediator, are limited, particularly in the Chinese EFL context. This study examined the levels of reading motivation, subjective well-being, reading self-esteem, and reading comprehension among Chinese EFL university students, and investigated potential gender differences in these variables. The study proposed that reading self-esteem mediates the relationships between reading motivation, subjective well-being, and English reading comprehension. It also explored students’ perceptions of how these factors influence their reading comprehension. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 377 Chinese EFL university students using three questionnaires and an English reading comprehension test via stratified sampling. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with six students using purposive stratified sampling. Data were analysed using statistical techniques and thematic analysis. Results indicated that most respondents reported low levels of reading motivation, subjective well-being, and reading self-esteem, with the majority demonstrating reading proficiency at or below the ‘Average’ level. Significant gender differences were observed across all study variables. Furthermore, reading self-esteem was found to mediate the relationships between reading motivation and reading comprehension, as well as between subjective well-being and reading comprehension. Qualitative findings highlighted themes such as stress relief, effective use of reading strategies, vocabulary expansion, enhanced reading self-esteem, reading avoidance, limited strategy use, and diminished reading self-esteem. In conclusion, this study underscores the critical role of reading self-esteem as a mediator in the relationship between reading motivation, subjective well-being, and reading comprehension among Chinese EFL university students