Learning a second/foreign language is a complicated process involving many factors and elements to occur effectively. It requires an investigation of variables and issues related to EFL learners in the process of learning. A limited number of studies have been performed concerning student-related factors to realize EFL learners’ spiritual intelligence and its relation to language learning. The study helped fill this gap by exploring the correlation between EFL learners’ Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Learner Autonomy (LA). A total of 365 EFL students were chosen from different branches of Islamic Azad University. Two validated and reliable questionnaires on SI (Azadi et al., in press) and LA (Dixon, 2011) were distributed among the participants. The SI questionnaire is a 27-item self-report measure consisting of four main factors, and the LA questionnaire contains 38 questions covering six factors. The correlation between the two variables was determined through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed a significant relationship between SI and LA. تفاصيل المقالة

The present study developed a questionnaire (Appendix 1) based on the relevant literature and interviews with 22 EFL learners, resulting in a 27-item questionnaire that was distributed among 360 EFL learners. A sequential mixed methods design was used. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed the elements of EFL learners’ spiritual intelligence. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of EFL learners’ responses generated four factors, namely: (1) Learning English for personal, social, and educational benefits, (2) learning English for personal, social, and academic achievement, (3) learning English to promote religious values, and (4) learning English for intercultural communication. The results of the study suggest that this scale is a reliable and valid measure of EFL learners’ SI. This study also revealed that SI has a significant relationship with gender and educational levels. The findings can help researchers define SI and how EFL learners’ SI can be measured. Educationists, practitioners, academics, theorists, teacher training centers, teachers, curriculum constructors, and pedagogic planners may find the results of this study beneficial if they are concerned with the importance of SI in the educational context and its influence on the performance of EFL learners. تفاصيل المقالة