Mindsets, resilience and student engagement as predictors of L2 achievement among Chinese English learners: Insights from fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

English learning is a long-term and continuous process that is permeated with various learning challenges, which requires learners to maintain active mindsets, robust resilience and deep learning engagement to attain a desirable achievement. Nevertheless, a detailed exploration of how mindsets, resilience, and engagement contribute to L2 achievement jointly has not been thoroughly investigated. This study hence aimed to address this issue by surveying 479 Chinese college English learners, all of whom were first-year students enrolled in the Comprehensive English Course. Through path analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA), three major findings were obtained. Firstly, growth mindsets and resilience predicted L2 achievement significantly, whereas fixed mindsets and engagement did not have statistically significant predictive effects on language achievement. Secondly, none of the individual factors of mindsets, resilience and engagement determined the level of L2 achievement unless being configured to function jointly. Thirdly, growth and fixed mindsets, resilience, and three subcomponents of student engagement are interrelated and can be dynamically combined in different ways to influence L2 achievement. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of the language learning process, implying that language programs must attend to the complexity of student experiences. The study underscores the need for educators to be aware of the various configurations that lead to L2 achievement, advocating for a flexible and adaptive teaching style that can accommodate the diverse needs of students.