# The impact of self-transcendence values on cooperative behaviors: attitude mediation and emotional moderation

## TL;DR

This study explores how self-transcendence values and emotional factors influence cooperation among English learners in China.

## Contribution

The study extends the 'Value-Attitude-Behavior' model to second language acquisition and reveals inhibitory effects of emotional intelligence and language enjoyment.

## Key findings

- Self-transcendence values positively predict cooperative attitudes, which mediate cooperative behaviors.
- Emotional intelligence and foreign language enjoyment enhance cooperative attitudes and behaviors.
- Emotional intelligence and foreign language enjoyment negatively moderate the link between self-transcendence values and cooperative attitudes.

## Abstract

This study investigated the psychological mechanisms through which Self-transcendence values (ST), Emotional Intelligence (EI), and Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) influence cooperative behaviors among Chinese university-level English learners (N = 561). The results, analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), provided strong support for a “Value-Attitude-Behavior” (VAB) model. Specifically, ST was a significant positive predictor of cooperative attitudes, which in turn served as a key mediator in facilitating cooperative behaviors. Both EI and FLE were found to be significant positive contributors to cooperative attitudes and behaviors. A notable finding was that EI and FLE exhibited significant negative moderating effects on the relationship between ST and cooperative attitudes, indicating a non-linear, inhibitory role in the value transmission pathway. This study validates and extends the applicability of the VAB model to the domain of second language acquisition, highlighting the complex interplay between personal values and affective factors in shaping cooperative outcomes.