Cover not available

Article published In: ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 173:1 (2022) ► pp.94–119

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

The predictors of exam performance of Kazakh university students and secondary school pupils learning Turkish

An exploratory investigation

ORCiD logo with link | Birkbeck, University of London
Published online: 12 November 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.21019.dew
Abstract
The present study investigates the effect of sociobiographical, emotional, attitudinal characteristics and teacher perceptions of 275 Kazakh secondary school pupils and 317 university students on their exam performance in Turkish as a foreign language (FL). Multiple regression analyses reveal that exam results in Turkish of secondary school pupils are predicted by teacher gender, participant’s age, attitude towards the FL and FL Classroom Anxiety. A very different picture emerges for university students, where FL level, participant’s gender, FL Enjoyment, FL Classroom Anxiety and teacher’s age explain more than twice as much variance. FL exam scores for both groups are thus underpinned by different sets of complex interactions between multiple learner-internal and learner-external variables and the effect of emotions is much stronger among university learners.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • A brief historical overview of emotion research in SLA
    • Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety
      • The first study on FLE and FLCA
      • The effect of the teacher on learner emotion and performance
      • The link between classroom emotions and FL performance
      • Research on emotions of learners acquiring two languages simultaneously
      • The issue of causality
    • Context: Turkish in Kazakhstan
  • Method
    • Procedures
    • Participants
    • Instruments
    • Data analysis
  • Results
  • Discussion
    • Limitations
    • Pedagogical implications
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgment
  • References
References (47)
References
Botes, E., Dewaele, J.-M., & Greiff, S. (2020). The power to improve: Effects of multilingualism and perceived proficiency on enjoyment and anxiety in foreign language learning. European Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 1–28. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021). Taking stock: An overview of the literature and a preliminary meta-analysis of Foreign Language Enjoyment and other individual difference variables. Unpublished paper available as pre-print Link: [URL]
Botes, E., Greiff, S., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2020). The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and academic achievement: An overview of the prevailing literature and a meta-analysis. The Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 21, 26–56. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, X., Vallerand, R. J., & Padilla, A. M. (2021). On the role of passion in second language learning and flourishing. Journal of Happiness Studies Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Denies, K. (2015). Individual Differences in Second Language Learning. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
Dewaele, J.-M. (2005). Investigating the psychological and the emotional dimensions in instructed language learning: Obstacles and possibilities. The Modern Language Journal, 89(3), 367–380. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018). Online questionnaires. In A. Phakiti, P. De Costa, L. Plonsky & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodology (pp. 269–286). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). The effect of classroom emotions, attitudes toward English, and teacher behaviour on Willingness to Communicate among English foreign language learners. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 38(4), 523–535. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2020). If classroom emotions were music, teachers would be conductors and learners would be members of the orchestra. In O. Mentz & K. Papaja (Eds.), Focus on Language. Challenging language learning and language teaching in peace and global education (pp. 8–10). Zürich: Lit Verlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Alfawzan, M. (2018). Does the effect of enjoyment outweigh that of anxiety in foreign language performance? Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 21–45. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Chen, X., Padilla, A. M., & Lake, J. (2019). The flowering of positive psychology in foreign language teaching and acquisition research. Frontiers in Psychology. Language Sciences, 101, 2128. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2017). The dynamic interactions in foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language enjoyment of pupils aged 12 to 18. A pseudo-longitudinal investigation. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 11, 12–22. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018). Learner-internal and learner-external predictors of Willingness to Communicate in the FL Classroom. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 21, 24–37. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2020). Are foreign language learners’ enjoyment and anxiety specific to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners’ classroom emotions. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 45–65. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Franco Magdalena, A., & Saito, K. (2019). The effect of perception of teacher characteristics on Spanish EFL Learners’ Anxiety and Enjoyment. The Modern Language Journal 103(2), 412–427. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Li, C. (2020) Emotions in Second Language Acquisition: A critical review and research agenda. Foreign Language World [Chinese 外语界], 196(1), 34–49.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M. & Li, C. (2021). Teacher enthusiasm and students’ social-behavioral learning engagement: The mediating role of student enjoyment and boredom in Chinese EFL Classes. Language Teaching Research. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Özdemir, C., Karci, D., Uysal, S., Özdemir, E. D., & Balta, N. (2019). How distinctive is the Foreign Language Enjoyment and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety of Kazakh learners of Turkish? Applied Linguistics Review. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 41, 237–274. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). The predictive power of multicultural personality traits, learner and teacher variables on foreign language enjoyment and anxiety. In M. Sato & S. Loewen (Eds.), Evidence-based second language pedagogy: A collection of Instructed Second Language Acquisition studies (pp. 263–286). London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Pavelescu, L. (2021). The relationship between incommensurable emotions and Willingness to Communicate in English as a Foreign Language: A multiple case study. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 15(1), 66–80. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Proietti Ergün, A. L. (2020a). How different are the relations between enjoyment, anxiety, attitudes/motivation and course marks in pupils’ Italian and English as Foreign languages? Journal of the European Second Language Association, 41, 45–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2020b). Appagamento, atteggiamente/motivazione e ansia nello studio della lingua madre e della lingua straniera in una scuola italiana all’estero. Rassegna Italiana di Linguistica Applicata, 51(2–3), 203–220.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Witney, J., Saito, K., & Dewaele, L. (2018). Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety in the FL classroom: The effect of teacher and learner variables. Language Teaching Research, 221, 676–697. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self (pp. 9–42). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. London: Routledge. 2nd ed.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2020). Innovations and challenges in language learning motivation. London – New York: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dörnyei, Z., & Al-Hoorie, A. (2017). The motivational foundation of learning languages other than global English: Theoretical issues and research directions. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 455–468. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London: Edward Arnold.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Green, S. B. (1991). How many subjects does it take to do a regression analysis? Multivariate Behavior Research, 261, 499–510. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Horwitz, E., Horwitz, M. & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 701, 125–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Intykbekov, A. (2017). Teacher perceptions of project-based learning in a Kazakh-Turkish Lyceum in the northern part of Kazakhstan. Unpublished Master dissertation, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education.
Jiang, Y., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2019). How unique is the Foreign Language Classroom Enjoyment and Anxiety of Chinese EFL Learners? System, 821, 13–25. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
King, J., & Smith, L. (2017). Social anxiety and silence in Japan’s tertiary foreign language classrooms. In C. Gkonou, M. Daubney, & J.-M. Dewaele (Eds.), New insights into language anxiety: Theory, research and educational implications (pp. 92–110). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. London: Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, C. (2020). A Positive Psychology perspective on Chinese EFL students’ Trait Emotional Intelligence, Foreign Language Enjoyment and EFL learning achievement. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(3), 246–263. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Li, C., Dewaele, J.-M., & Jiang, G. (2020). The complex relationship between classroom emotions and EFL achievement in China. Applied Linguistics Review, 11(3), 485–510. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MacIntyre, P. D. (2017). An overview of language anxiety research and trends in its development. In C. Gkonou, M. Daubney & J.-M. Dewaele (Eds.), New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications (pp. 11–30). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 193–213. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McCarthy, J. (2016). PBL, Kazakhstan, and global success skills. Retrieved from [URL]
Oxford, R. (2016). Toward a psychology of well-being for language learners: The ‘EMPATHICS’ vision. In P. D. MacIntyre, T. Gregersen, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive Psychology in SLA (pp. 10–90). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Plonsky, L., & Ghanbar, H. (2018). Multiple regression in L2 research: A methodological synthesis and guide to interpreting R2 values. The Modern Language Journal, 102(4), 713–731. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Prior, M. T. (2019). Elephants in the room: An “affective turn,” or just feeling our way? The Modern Language Journal, 103(2), 516–527. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Resnik, P., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2020). Trait emotional intelligence, anxiety and enjoyment in first and foreign language classes. System, 941. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Teimouri, Y., Plonsky, L., & Tabandeh, F. (2020). L2 grit: Passion and perseverance for second-language learning. Language Teaching Research. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wei, H., Gao, K., & Wang, W. (2019). Understanding the relationship between grit and foreign language performance among middle school students: The roles of Foreign Language Enjoyment and classroom environment. Frontiers in Psychology, 101, 1508. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yensenov, K., Duisen, K., Erimbetova, K., Kaliyev, J., & Yensepov, B. (2016). History of Kazakhstan as an image of an independent state. The Anthropologist, 261, 131–136. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (8)

Cited by eight other publications

Dewaele, Jean‐Marc & Elouise Botes
2025. How the Effects of Foreign Language Enjoyment, Anxiety, Boredom and Peace of Mind on Attitude/Motivation Change With Skill Level, Academic Achievement and Age: A Moderated Mediation Model. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 35:4 ► pp. 2010 ff. DOI logo
Huang, Lujie & Ming Liu
2025. The impact of technology on foreign language anxiety: A systematic review of empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 12:1 DOI logo
Yeşilçınar, Sabahattin, Jean-Marc Dewaele & Nihan Erdemir
2025. The Psychometric Validation of Turkish Versions of Four Scales: The Foreign Language Enjoyment, Peace of Mind, Boredom, and Classroom Anxiety Scales. Perceptual and Motor Skills 132:1 ► pp. 61 ff. DOI logo
Li, Zhiyuan & Li Xing
2024. Foreign language anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom among Chinese secondary students: a control-value theory approach. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 11:1 DOI logo
Tsang, Art & Jean Marc Dewaele
2024. The relationships between young FL learners’ classroom emotions (anxiety, boredom, & enjoyment), engagement, and FL proficiency. Applied Linguistics Review 15:5 ► pp. 2015 ff. DOI logo
Dewaele, Jean-Marc & Rachid Meftah
2023. The Trajectory of English Foreign Learners’ Emotions and Motivation from the Start to the End of their Learning Journey: A Pseudo-Longitudinal Investigation. Journal of the European Second Language Association 7:1 ► pp. 16 ff. DOI logo
Dewaele, Jean-Marc & Rachid Meftah
2024. How motivation and enjoyment spread their wings during English Foreign Language learning: A pseudo-longitudinal investigation into Moroccan learners. Learning and Motivation 85 ► pp. 101962 ff. DOI logo
Jin, Yinxing
2023. The Development and Validation of the English Writing Enjoyment Scale. Perceptual and Motor Skills 130:1 ► pp. 555 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 30 march 2026. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue