以虚拟现实、人工智能为代表的新一代数字技术，为加快推进教育数字化转型和智能升级提供了重要支撑，引发了教育教学模式的变革，给教育带来了更多新的可能性。教育数字化转型是当前教育改革与实践中的热点，也是未来外语教育改革和发展的方向。在教育数字化转型背景下，外语教学在教学环境、教学工具、教学资源和教学模式等方面发生重要变革。数字化学习环境能够为学习者提供开放的学习环境空间和资源、多层次性的课程内容，赋予学习者更多自主权，使学生能够按照自己的步调学习。数字化学习环境在重塑外语教学形态的同时，也带来了新的需求和挑战。如何应对数字化学习环境对外语教学带来的影响作用，是外语教育者需要思考的问题。

疫情外部压力催化的背景下，数字化学习的现实需求倒逼着加快教育数字化转型，为未来数字化学习带来新的认知。后疫情时期，混合式教学将成为高等教育的“新常态”。在数字化转型背景下，对技术与技术创新的关注应该与对学习者的关注相结合，以深入理解学习者的语言学习过程中可能出现的新问题、新挑战与新实践。学习投入反映了学习者在学习过程中投入的时间和精力，是衡量外语学习效果的重要评价指标。因此，探索数字化学习环境中的外语学习者学习投入具有重要价值和意义。学习投入具有动态性，学习任务和学习情境不同，学生的学习投入会体现出不同的特征。随着信息技术与外语课程的进一步融合创新，数字化学习环境中英语学习者的学习投入会呈现新的结构和关系特征。已有实证研究大多聚焦传统面对面的学习环境，少有针对数字化学习环境中英语学习者的学习投入及其影响机制研究。在本研究中，数字化学习环境是指以网络环境为基础的在线学习环境、混合学习环境、移动学习环境等。因此，本研究认为有必要结合数字化学习环境中英语学习者的学习投入现状，明晰学习投入的影响机制，并开展技术支持的教学设计和教学干预，以提升学习者的学习投入，切实保障教学的有效性以及学习的主动性，已经成为技术支持学习领域的亟待解决的关键问题。

鉴于此，本研究重点关注以下几个问题：（1）数字化学习环境，高校英语学习者的学习投入状态如何？具体包含哪些维度、各个维度之间关系如何？（2）数字化学习环境中高校学生英语学习投入受到哪些主要因素的影响？作用机制如何？（3）数字化学习环境对英语学习者学习投入的影响效果？结合这些问题，本研究首先梳理了国内外有关学习投入研究的理论与实践，构建了适用于我国数字化教学环境下高校英语学习者学习投入的本土化理论框架；随后基于这一框架，以英语学习者为例开展实证研究，探讨数字化学习环境下英语学习者学习投入的主要影响因素，剖析这些内部、外部影响因素与学习投入之间的潜在影响关系；最后，为进一步探究数字化学习环境对英语学习者学习投入的影响效果，研究以虚拟现实技术为载体，开展技术赋能的外语教学实践，并从学习投入的角度检验数字技术支持的外语教学效果。

本研究主要形成以下四个方面的研究成果：

（一）构建了数字化学习环境中高校英语学习者学习投入的理论框架

本研究基于生态系统理论、自我决定理论、情境理论以及有关学习投入的前期理论研究和要素分析，提出了数字学习环境下高校英语学习者学习投入的理论框架——CPEO理论框架。该框架由外部因素、内部因素、学习投入、学业表现四个要素构成，阐释学习者学习投入的影响作用。具体而言，外部要素主要包括教师支持和同伴支持。教师支持进一步细化为六种具体的教师支持策略（给予挑战、创设情境、激发兴趣、鼓励自主、激励认可、反馈评价）。内部因素主要涉及学习者的基本心理需求，包括能力需求、自主需求以及相关需求。学习投入具体包括行为、情感、认知和社会投入，学习投入各维度之间是相互关联的、相互作用的。学业表现主要是指学生的学业成绩和学习体验。CPEO框架为深入剖析数字化学习环境中学习者内部因素、外部因素、学习投入以及学业表现之间的关系提供分析基础。

（二）探讨了数字化学习环境中外部因素对英语学习者学习投入的作用机制

研究首先结合高校英语教学实践，探究学习者感知到的社会支持（教师支持、同伴支持）对学习投入的影响作用。研究结果表明：学习者感知的教师支持、同伴支持对学习投入有正向影响作用；行为投入在社会支持（教师支持、同伴支持）和学习投入的其他维度（认知投入、情感投入、社会投入）之间起到中介作用。随后，研究进一步将教师支持细化为六种具体的教师支持策略（学业挑战、真实情境、激发兴趣、鼓励自主、激励认可、反馈评价），分析数字化学习环境下教师支持策略对学习投入的影响关系。结果显示：“学业挑战”和“反馈评价”在预测大学生学习投入方面的效果最强，而“真实情境”次之。研究建议，教师在教学实践过程中应不断优化教学设计，注重任务的挑战性、真实性和趣味性，通过提升师生的反馈素养促进师生、生生以及人机互动。

（三）揭示了数字化学习环境中内部因素对英语学习者学习投入的作用机制

本研究基于自我决定理论（Self-determination Theory），结合实证研究探究了学习者的内部因素和学习投入的复杂关系。研究针对312名我国英语学习者开展问卷调查，考察了数字化学习环境中英语学习者的基本心理需求（即自主需求、相关需求、能力需求）、学习投入（行为投入、认知投入）与学业表现之间的路径关系。研究发现，自主需求、能力需求和相关需求均对学习者的认知投入和行为投入有显著正向预测作用，并且对学习者的学业成绩具有进一步促进作用。研究结果揭示了学习者的基本心理需求、学习投入以及学业表现之间的影响机制，为未来开展“需求支持性教学”提供理论参考和实证依据。

（四）探索了数字化学习环境对英语学习者学习投入的影响效果

本研究以虚拟现实技术为载体，开展技术支持的外语教学实践，以探索数字化学习环境对英语学习者学习投入的影响效果。研究基于情境学习理论，依托自主研发的虚拟仿真实验平台，结合大学英语拓展类课程展开为期6周的准实验研究，以检验数字技术对英语学习者学习投入和学习表现的影响作用。实验结果显示：数字化学习环境能够为学习者提供情境化、沉浸式的学习体验以及实时互动和反馈，能够显著提升英语学习者的学习投入水平。研究围绕教学设计、平台优化、资源建设及教学效果评价等方面提出相关建议，以期为提升数字技术支持的外语教学效果提供实证参考，从而推动信息技术与外语教学的深度融合。

本研究的创新点主要包括四个方面：

（一）研究构建了数字化学习环境中高校英语学习者的学习投入理论框架，丰富和拓展了学习投入在二语习得领域的应用，为有效提升外语学习效果提供理论参考。本研究基于生态系统理论、自我决定理论、情境理论以及有关学习投入的前期理论研究和要素分析，提出了数字学习环境下高校英语学习者学习投入的理论框架——CPEO框架。该框架由外部因素、内部因素、学习投入、学习结果四个要素构成，阐释学习者学习投入的影响作用。具体而言，外部因素包括教师支持因素、同伴支持因素。教师支持进一步细化为六种具体的教师支持策略（给予挑战、创设情境、激发兴趣、鼓励自主、激励认可、反馈评价）。内部因素主要涉及学习者的基本心理需求，包括能力需求、自主需求以及相关需求。学习投入具体包括行为、情感、认知和社会投入。学业表现主要是指学生的学业成绩和学习体验。研究通过构建数字化学习环境中高校英语学习者的学习投入理论框架，丰富和拓展了学习投入在二语习得领域的应用，为有效提升外语学习效果提供理论参考。

（二）研究分析了数字化学习环境中英语学习者学习投入的构成要素及其内部结构关系，刻画了外部因素、内部因素、学习投入和学业表现之间的作用机制，为揭示数字化学习环境下语言学习机制、理解语言学习规律提供科学依据。首先，本研究印证了学习投入的各个维度之间是相互关系、相互作用的，指出行为投入作为学习过程中的一个关键步骤，能够对认知、情感和社会投入维度产生驱动作用。研究结果有助于教学实施者深入了解数字化学习环境中学习者学习投入新的结构和关系特征。随后，研究结合高校英语教学实践，探究外部因素（社会支持）对学习投入的影响作用。研究结果表明：学习者感知的教师支持、同伴支持对学习投入有正向影响作用；行为投入在社会支持（教师支持、同伴支持）和学习投入的其他维度（认知投入、情感投入、社会投入）之间起到中介作用。然后，研究将教师支持进一步细化为六种具体的教师支持策略（学业挑战、真实情境、激发兴趣、鼓励自主、激励认可、反馈评价），分析教师支持策略与学习投入之间的潜在关系。最后，研究聚焦于探索学习者内部因素（基本心理需求）对学习投入的影响关系。研究结果表明：学习者的基本心理需求有助于提高其学习投入水平，进而提升学习者的学业表现。研究通过分析数字化学习环境中外部因素、内部因素、学习投入和学业表现之间的作用机制，为揭示数字化学习环境下语言学习机制、理解语言学习规律提供科学依据。

（三）研究以虚拟现实技术为载体，构建了技术赋能的创新型外语教学模式，为开展技术赋能的外语教学实践及其效果评估提供实证依据，从而为推进信息技术与外语教学的深度融合提供实践经验。本研究构建了VR技术支持的外语教学模式，同时验证该技术在大学英语教学中的应用效果，研究结果有利于教师借助数字技术创新外语教学模式，突破教学的时空界限，构建线上线下融合的外语教学模式，为学生创设沉浸、交互、虚实融合的学习环境，从而为提升技术赋能的外语教学成效提供了实证依据。研究作为数字技术与教育教学深度融合实践样态和应用场景的积极探索和有益尝试，有助于实现数字教育生态与外语创新实践，进一步推进信息技术与外语教学的深度融合。

（四）研究编制了一套适用于数字化学习环境中我国高校英语学习者学习投入的本土化问卷工具，可作为测量工具用于学习投入相关研究，为后续实证研究提供重要工具支撑，从而为研究结论推广到更广泛的教学情境和学科提供有益借鉴。本研究基于学习投入的相关理论和实证研究，研发了观测数字化学习环境下我国高校英语学习者学习投入的本土化调查问卷和访谈提纲。研究结果表明，量表具有较好的信效度，可以作为有效测量工具用于我国高校英语学习者的在线学习投入相关研究，为研究结论推广到更广泛的教学情境和学科提供有益借鉴，为后续类似实证研究提供重要参考。

The advent of digital technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence has accelerated the digital transformation and intelligent upgrade of educational system. The utilization of digital technologies has brought about tremendous changes in teaching practice, leading to various possibilities in the educational field. As the digital transformation of education has received growing attention of scholars, it also represents the future direction for the practice of English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Against the backdrop of digital transformation in education, EFL learning and teaching has undergone significant changes in terms of teaching environments, tools, resources, and paradigms. Digital learning environments can provide learners with open learning space and resources, multi-level course content, and grant learners more autonomy so that they can learn at their own pace. With the reshaping of the foreign language teaching ecosystem, digital learning environments also bring new opportunities and challenges. Therefore, it is imperative for foreign language educators to reflect how to cope with the impact of digital learning environments in foreign language teaching and learning.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the practical need for digital learning has pushed the acceleration of the digital transformation in education and thus provided new insights into future digital learning. The post-pandemic era has witnessed a reverse transition, a paradigm shift from online to offline or blended education, ushering in a “new normal” in higher education. Therefore, it is important for language instructors to place more emphasis on the combination of technology innovation and student care in order to deal with the new problems, challenges, and practices in the language learning process. Student engagement, the time and effort invested by learners in the learning process, is considered as a crucial indicator of students’ learning outcome. As a dynamic construct, features of student engagement fluctuates in different learning tasks and contexts. With the innovation of information technology and its further integration into foreign language courses, EFL learners’ engagement will present new features and new internal structural relationships in the digital learning environment. Despite the existing empirical studies focusing on traditional face-to-face learning environment, scant attention is dedicated to EFL learner’ learning engagement and its influencing mechanism in the digital learning environment. In the current study, digital learning environment refers to network-based environment including online learning environment, blended learning environment, mobile learning environments, etc. This study points out the necessity of clarifying the influencing mechanism of learning engagement, and further carrying out technology-enhanced instructional design as well as intervention based on the current status of EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. Therefore, enhancing learners’ engagement and ensuring the effectiveness as well as proactivity of teaching and learning have become critical issues in the field of technology-enhanced learning.

Considering the current background, this study mainly focuses on the following questions: (1) What is the state of college English learners’ learning engagement in digital learning environments? What are the dimensions of learning engagement and how do they relate to each other? (2) What are the factors that affect English learning engagement in digital learning environments? And what is the influencing mechanism of these factors? (3) Will the adoption of technology effectively promote college EFL learners’ learning engagement?

According to the research questions, this study sorts out the extant theories and previous researches on learning engagement at home and abroad, and construct a localized theoretical framework applicable to English learners’ learning engagement in the digital learning environment in Chinese tertiary education. Simultaneously, based on the theoretical framework, an empirical research is conducted to investigate the main influencing factors of English learners’ learning engagement and analyze potential interplay among those influencing factors, learning engagement and academic performance in the digital context. Furthermore, in order to further explore the paths and methods to enhance the teaching effect in digital language environment, the study takes VR as the representative of digital technologies and examines the foreign language teaching effect of such a technology-supported language teaching approach. .  

The major achievements of this study mainly include the following aspects:

Constructing a theoretical framework of EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. Based on ecosystem theory, self-determination theory, situated learning theory, previous theoretical studies and elemental analyses of learning engagement, this study proposes a theoretical framework of learning engagement in digital learning environments: the CPEO framework. Consisting of four elements, namely, external factors, internal factors, learning engagement and learning outcome, the CPEO framework explicates the influential role of student engagement. Specifically, the external factors encompass teacher support and peer support. Teacher support is further categorized into six instructional strategies (challenge, authentic context, curiosity, autonomy, recognition and feedback). Internal factors are mainly concerned with learners’ basic psychological needs, including competence, autonomy and relatedness. Learning engagement involves behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social engagement. The aforementioned variables are interrelated and interact with each other. The CPEO framework incorporates facilitators of engagement, indicators of engagement, and learning outcome into the theoretical framework of learning engagement, which lays foundation for in-depth analysis of the interrelation among internal factors, external factors, learning engagement, and learning outcome in digital learning environment.

(2) Investigating the structural relationship among the external factors and EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. The study first explores the relationship between learners’ perceived social support (teacher support, peer support) and learning engagement in college English teaching practices. The results demonstrate that learners’ perceived teacher support and peer support exert a positive influence on learning engagement; behavioral engagement mediates the linkage between social support (teacher support and peer support) and other dimensions of learning engagement (cognitive, emotional and social engagement). Subsequently, the study further categorized teacher support into six specific instructional strategies (challenge, authentic context, curiosity, autonomy, recognition, and feedback) to analyze the potential relationship between instructional strategies and learning engagement in digital learning environment. To be specific, “challenge” and “feedback” have the strongest predictive effects on student engagement, and “authentic context” has the second strongest prective effect on student engagement. Therefore, the current study suggests college English teachers optimizing online instructional design, focusing on the challenge, authenticity, as well as enjoyment of the task and promoting teacher-student, student-student and human-computer interaction by developing both teachers’ and students’ feedback literacy.

Investigating the structural relationship between internal factors and EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. Based on the self-determination theory, this study probes into the intricate relationship among EFL learners’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), student engagement and academic performance. The results reveal that EFL learners’ BPN plays a significant role in predicting the learners’ behavioral and cognitive engagement, which in turen positively influence their academic achievement. Therefore, college English instructors are encouraged to pay attention to learners’ basic psychological needs when designing and implementing language instruction, so as to optimize EFL learners’ language acquisition through “need-supportive” language teaching.

(4) Analyzing the effects of technology-enhanced English teaching with the integration of VR technology. This study confirms the effectiveness of integrating technology into foreign language teaching in order to further promote the incorporation of innovative technologies into foreign language teaching. Based on the situated learning theory, a 6-week quasi-experimental study is carried out in an elective English language course adopting a self-developed Virtual Environment (3DVE), in order to explore the effects of VR on students’ learning performance. The results of the experiment show that the VR players’ vocabulary learning performance significantly outperformed the video watchers’, in that the 3DVE platform could provide contextualized and authentic language learning experience, a strong sense of presence, and real-time interactivity and feedback. However, the VR players’ learning motivation still needed to be strengthened. Pedagogical implications and practical suggestions are proposed in terms of instructional designs, platform optimization, resource construction, and teaching assessment.

The research contributions of this study are presented as below:

This study constructs a theoretical framework of English learning engagement within a digital learning environment. It enriches and extends the application of learning engagement in second language acquisition, providing important theoretical reference for developing the effectiveness of foreign language learning. Drawing upon ecosystem theory, self-determination theory, situated learning theory, prior theoretical studies and elemental analyses about learner engagement, this study has formulated a localized framework of learning engagement (CPEO framework) tailored to Chinese tertiary English learners within a digital language learning context. Comprising four components (internal factors, external factors, learning engagement and outcomes), this framework elaborates the crucial role of learning engagement. Specifically, external factors involve teacher support and peer support. Teacher support is represented by six instructional strategies (challenge, authentic context, curiosity, autonomy, cognition and evaluation). Internal factors mainly focuse on learners’ basic psychological needs (e.g. perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness). Learning engagement consists of behavioral, emotional, cognitive and social engagement. The above constructs interrelates and interact to each other. CPEO framework also integrates facilitators of engagement, indicators of engagement and learning outcome into the theoretical framework of learning engagement, which provides undergriding for in-depth analysis of the association among internal factors, external factors, learning engagement and learnng outcome in digital learning environment.

(2) The study analyzes the structural relationship of EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. The functioning mechanism of external factors, internal factors, learning engagement and academic achievement is also portrayed in this study, offering a scientific basis for understanding the rules and mechanism of language learning in digital learning environment. Firstly, the study explores the role of learners’ perceived social support (teacher support, peer support) in learning engagement in college English teaching practice. The results delineate that learners’ perceived teacher support and peer support exert positive effect on learning engagement; behavioral engagement plays a mediating role between social support (teacher support, peer support) and other dimensions of learning engagement (cognitive, emotional and social engagement). Subsequently, the study further refines teacher support into six instructional strategies (challenge, authentic context, curiosity, autonomy, recognition, and feedback) and analyzes the potential relationship between teachers’ instructional strategies and learning engagement in digital learning environment. Secondly, the study delves into the relationship among EFL learners’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, relatedness, and competence), learning engagement and academic achievement. The findings indicate that learners’ basic psychological needs facilitate learning engagement, which in turn enhances academic achievement.

(3) The research constructs an innovative technology-enhanced EFL language teaching design with the integration of VR technology. Accordingly, this study offers empirical evidence for carrying out technology-enhanced foreign language teaching practice and evaluating its effects. It also provides practical evidence for promoting the deep integration of information technology and foreign language teaching. A technology-enhanced language teaching mode is established and its application effects in college English instruction is validated in the current study. The results are conducive to teachers’ innovation of foreign language teaching paradigm with the help of digital technology. By removing the spatial and temporal barriers of teaching, this study creates an immersive and interactive learning environment for the EFL learners, which helps to increase the effectiveness of technology-enhanced language learning. Besides, the study serves as a positive attempt and exploration of incorporating digital technologies into EFL teaching and learning. This study is condusive for creating a digital educational ecosystem, innovating foreign language practices, and further promoting the in-depth integration of information technology and foreign language teaching.

(4) The study develops a set of questionnaires for assessing Chinese college EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. The instruments can be applied to gauge students’ learning engagement in relevant studies, providing instrumental support for subsequent empirical investigations and serving as effective reference when generalizing the research findings to a wider range of research context and disciplines. Based on the related theoretical and empirical studies in this field, the current study deveopes some localized questionnaires and interview outlines for assessing Chinese EFL learners’ engagement in the digital learning environment. It is suggested that the instruments have good reliability and validity, which can be employed as effective measurements in the follow-up studies.