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Article History

Received: 17 December 2024

Accepted: 30 July 2025

First Online: 9 August 2025

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study, titled “Foreign Language Learners’ Cognitive Motivation,” was approved by the Ethics Committee of the National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University (Approval Date: 4 September 2023; Approval ID: NRCFLE-20230904-3). The research was conducted in full accordance with ethical guidelines for human participant research, including the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional regulations. The approved protocol encompassed the study design, methodology, data collection, and informed consent process, ensuring participants were adequately informed of the study’s purpose, procedures, and potential risks/benefits. The approval was valid for 2 years from the date of issue. No post-hoc approval was required, as ethical clearance was obtained prior to the commencement of research activities. The Principal Investigator ensured compliance with the approved protocol throughout the study.

: The study only concerns non-interventional research (i.e., questionnaire surveys). Written informed consent was obtained electronically from all participants prior to their involvement in the research. The consent process was administered through the Wenjuanxing survey platform (), where participants were required to explicitly agree to the terms before proceeding with the questionnaire (As they responded to the questionnaire survey on different dates, they gave formal consent on different dates, from 1 to 7 November 2023). The research team distributed the survey link via professional networks, targeting graduates of foreign language programmes who had applied their language skills in professional settings. A total of 190 eligible participants provided consent by selecting the “I agree” option after reviewing the study’s purpose, procedures, and their rights as participants. The consent form outlined the study’s objectives, emphasising its focus on cognitive motivation in both formal language education and real-world professional use. Participants were informed that their involvement would entail completing a 15-20 min questionnaire, comprising quantitative Likert-scale items and open-ended qualitative reflections. They were assured of anonymity, as no personally identifiable information was collected, and were made aware of their right to withdraw at any point without consequence. Additionally, the form clarified that all data would be securely stored on password-protected servers for five years post-study, accessible only to the research team, and would be used solely for academic publication. The scope of consent covered participation, data analysis, and dissemination of findings in line with ethical research standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki. No oral consent was sought, as the electronic system provided a verifiable record of agreement. The research team upheld strict compliance with the approved protocol, ensuring that participants were fully informed and that their voluntary participation was documented prior to data collection.