The Relationship between University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Motivation and Anxiety

Abstract

Generally, when motivation is high, the anxiety of a person is reduced and success is increasing. One of the subjects related to learning in general, and language learning in particular, is related to "anxiety". The study is aimed at determining relations between foreign language learning motivation and anxiety of students. 305 students were involved in the relational survey model of the research. The participants of the research are students of B1 level who study in language preparation of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. Data of the study were collected with the Motivation in Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language Scale and, Anxiety in Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language Scale. We used the descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient for data analysis. The participants have the highest degree of motivation in the dimension of instrumental motivation and the lowest degree of motivation in the dimension of cultural motivation. Views of the participants on the internal motivation, instrumental motivation, and motivation to learn Turkish as a foreign language differ from each other according to their gender and views on instrumental motivation and their mother tongue as well. The participants feel the highest degree of anxiety in listening and having the lowest degree of motivation in writing. There are negative and significant relationships between the participants' internal motivation and their motivation to learn Turkish as a foreign language along with their anxiety about speaking, writing, and learning Turkish as a foreign language.