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

Abstract

Abstract: 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.