Examination of the Relationship Between Perfectionism and English Language Proficiency: the case of Chinese non-English majors

Ye Tao, Ilyana Jalaluddin, Zalina Mohd Kasim

Abstract


As a significant personality trait that drives individuals to pursue excellence and the compliance with the highest standards, perfectionism plays a vital role in the process of language acquisition for students. In light of this, the present study is aimed at revealing the relationship between perfectionism and English language proficiency among non-English majors. By applying the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale for Chinese (CFMPS), an online questionnaire survey was conducted on 215 non-English majors to assess perfectionism from various perspectives. Besides, the English proficiency of the participants was evaluated against their College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) scores. In line with this criterion, the English proficiency of the participants was quantified for a further analysis of the relationship between perfectionism and English proficiency. To achieve the specific research objectives, the collected questionnaire data were analyzed using a variety of statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics, T-tests, ANOVA and logistic regression. According to the analytical results, most of the participants (66.05%) exhibited an increased level of perfectionism, with a notable inclination towards negative perfectionism. Moreover, there were only significant differences in the participants’ level of perfectionism according to gender and grade. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation found between perfectionism and English proficiency. In summary, the results of this study are expected to provide more insights into the influence of perfectionism on language learning and other behavioural aspects of learners.


Keywords


Perfectionism; English Language Proficiency; Non-English Majors; Foreign Language Learning

References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.79491

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