Determinants of English Language Achievement Among Nigerian Students: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Classroom Climate and Student Engagement

Hamisu Hamisu Haruna; Azza Jauhar Ahmad  Tajuddin; Nur Salina  Ismail; Ibrahim Bashir

Autores

Dr. Hamisu Hamisu Haruna Al-Qalam University Katsina https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6318-2652
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin Universidade da Malásia Terengganu Autor https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3261-0877
Nur Salina Ismail Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9223-2148
Ibrahim Bashir Khalid Ibrahim Abir Al-Dhafiri & Partner Company https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2360-8468

Palavras-chave:

teacher empathy, social-emotional learning, peacebuilding, classroom climate, student engagement

Resumo

This study examines how teacher
empathy (TE), social-emotional learning (SEL), and
peacebuilding approaches (PBA) shape English
language achievement among secondary students
in conflict-affected Nigerian schools. Drawing on
social cognitive and self-determination theories, we
propose a model in which harmonious classroom
climate (HCC) mediates, and student engagement (SE)
moderates, the links between teacher practices and
students’ English language achievement (SELA). Data
were collected from 361 students in public schools in
Katsina and Zamfara states and analyzed using partial
least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
TE, SEL, and PBA all had significant direct effects on
SELA and on HCC, and HCC in turn strongly predicted
SELA. Mediation analyses showed that HCC partially
transmitted the effects of all three teacher practices to
achievement, while SE negatively moderated the HCC–
SELA path, indicating that climate improvements were
most beneficial for less engaged students. The findings
position socio-emotional, peace-oriented pedagogies
as forms of critical love that foster harmonious English
classrooms in conflict-affected contexts.

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Biografia do Autor

Dr. Hamisu Hamisu Haruna, Al-Qalam University Katsina

¹Hamisu Hamisu Haruna is a lecturer of English at Al-Qalam University Katsina in Nigeria. He holds BA (Ed.) English, MA English (Language) from Bayero University Kano and PhD in Applied Linguistics from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu in Malaysia. His research interests include corpus linguistics, English for academic Purpose, second language acquisition and social-emotional learning.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin , Universidade da Malásia Terengganu

²Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin is an Associate Professor at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. She received her Bachelor of Education in TESOL from University of Edinburgh, Scotland; her Master of Education (TESL) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and; PhD in Education from University of Nottingham. She has embraced higher education teaching and learning with a special emphasis on experiential learning, in particular, community-based learning.
Nur Salina Ismail, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin

Nur Salina Ismail is a senior academic and researcher with a prolific portfolio in applied linguistics. She has secured multiple grants, including internal grant (SoTL and DPU) and national grant from industries focusing on innovative pedagogy, educational linguistics and art therapy. Her extensive publications in indexed journals span themes like ESL, education strategies, and technology-driven collaboration in linguistics.
Ibrahim Bashir , Khalid Ibrahim Abir Al-Dhafiri & Partner Company

Bashir Ibrahim holds a PhD in English Language Studies specializing in Corpus Linguistics and a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia. He has served as an English instructor at Jubail Industrial College, Saudi Arabia (2019–2021), and as an Assistant Professor of English at North Private College of Nursing, Arar, Saudi Arabia. His research interests include corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, L2 learner emotions, and teaching English as a second language (TESL).

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