The recent rapid integration of digital technology into China’s vocational teaching system has presented a range of cognitive and affective barriers that hinder language learning. This research covers the complex association between language anxiety, learning self-awareness, and digital information overload (DIO). A mixed-methods design was used, using the Foreign Language Anxiety Model by Horwitz and Metacognition Theory by Flavell. The three validated scales used to collect quantitative data were the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), and a self-constructed Digital Information Overload Scale (DIOS), administered to 312 students. The semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions provided complementary qualitative data. Some empirical data found that there is a strong correlation between increased exposure to digital information overload and increased language anxiety, with metacognitive self-awareness being a moderating variable able to reduce such anxiety levels. Regression analyses also show that metacognitive awareness is a meaningful mediator in the DIO-anxiety relationship. These findings support the necessity to incorporate metacognitive learning, digital literacy, and emotional scaffolding into vocational programs. In this way, the study contributes to the current knowledge of SLA in digital environments and provides corresponding implications for the preparation of teachers and the design of learning-management systems. Notably, it fills a gap of interest in the research community by shedding light on the protective effect of metacognition against digital-induced anxiety in under-resourced learning environments. © 2025 by the author(s).
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