Mediating Effect of Mobile Motivation on the Correlation between Pre-achievement and Post-achievement of Chinese as a Second Language

Due to the affordances of m-learning and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), ChineseSkill, a mobile app, is used in this study to enhance the learning effects of Chinese as a Second Language (CSL). This study aims to investigate the mediating effect of mobile motivation on the correlation between CSL learners' pre-achievement and post-achievement. The respondents were CSL beginners selected at a private university college in Melaka, Malaysia, using the purposive sampling method. There were 95 valid cases in total. Descriptive analysis revealed that the respondents exhibited moderate levels of mobile motivation. Besides, learners made an obvious improvement from pre-achievement to post-achievement. The results from PLS-SEM show that the correlation between pre-achievement and post-achievement, the correlation between pre-achievement and mobile motivation, and the correlation between mobile motivation and post-achievement were all positive and significant. Moreover, mobile motivation was a partial mediator for the correlation between pre-achievement and post-achievement. Therefore, mobile apps such as ChineseSkill should be used to improve learners' mobile motivation and achievement. Besides, future studies should pay more attention to the role of mobile motivation and other potential mediators and moderators. Moreover, various types of data collection methods should be used in future studies.