The Impact of Academic Burnout on the Motivational Orientations of Learners of French as a Foreign Language: A PLS-SEM Approach

Abstract

With growing pressure in today’s world, students are facing burnout from meeting academic demands. This may influence students’ motivation and academic engagement, which causes growing concern in higher education. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the influence of burnout on students’ motivation by integrating the Job Demands–Resources Model and Expectancy–Value Theory. These relationships are then tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). A questionnaire consisting of three components including value, expectancy, and affective was distributed to 125 undergraduate students. The results were then analysed using SmartPLS, following a two-stage procedure involving measurement and structural model assessment. The findings revealed that the measurement model exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity across all constructs. Structural model results revealed that disengagement exerted significant effects on all three motivational components (value, expectancy, and affective), indicating its strong and consistent influence on students’ motivational beliefs and emotional responses toward learning. Exhaustion, however, showed a more selective impact, significantly influencing expectancy but not value or affective components. Overall, the results suggest that motivational withdrawal affects students' motivation greater than emotional fatigue. These findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of how multiple aspects of burnout may affect students' motivation. The study also highlighted that PLS-SEM is useful in studying the complex relationship between psychological constructs. The results of this study contribute to addressing students’ loss of interest and highlight the role of educators in supporting student motivation during lessons.