The role of the classroom environment perceptions on female high school students L2 learning motivation with the mediating role of self-efficacy

In the world today, learning a second language is a requirement for academic and professional development. One of the basic needs in the field of research on language learning is the impact of classroom environment perceptions on motivation and self-efficacy in learning a second language. Self-efficacy and educational motivation are factors which are important in students' learning and educational improvement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between classroom environment perceptions and the students' motivation in learning a second language with the mediation of self-efficacy. The research population consisted of eleven-year-old female high school students of Mashhad. The research sample consisted of 409 students who were selected using cluster sampling method. To achieve the objectives of this study, three questionnaires, i.e., Arabic classroom environment perceptions, Arabic language learning self-efficacy questionnaire and Arabic language learning motivation questionnaire were designed by the researcher. Reliability and validity of the questionnaires were also verified. Pearson correlation coefficient, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation model were used to analyze the data. The results of Pearson correlation showed that the motivational components of learning a second language are correlated with each other in a pairwise fashion (p <0.001). By implementing a structural equation model to test the relationship between classroom environment perceptions and the motivation to learn a second language with mediation of the self-efficacy in language learning, it was found that the proposed model had appropriate fit and the motivation to learn Arabic language through classroom environment perceptions was predictable with self-efficacy mediation.