Utangaçlıktan akıcılığa: Türk öğrencilerin ingilizceye maruz kalma seviyeleri ile yabancı dil telaffuz kaygısı seviyeleri arasındaki ilişki

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between students' levels of exposure to English and their pronunciation anxiety. Additionally, it examined the associations between anxiety and exposure levels and variables such as gender, school level, age at which students began learning English, weekly English hours, and whether they received private English lessons. Data were collected from 468 students enrolled in two selective public schools and analysed using the SPSS program. The study was designed within a correlational research model, utilizing two distinct scales as data collection instruments. The first was the English Language Exposure Scale, developed by Gökcan and Çobanoğlu Aktan (2019), comprising 22 items. The second was the Pronunciation Anxiety Scale, developed by Baran-Lucarz (2016) and adapted into Turkish by Yağız (2018), consisting of 25 items. A range of statistical analyses were conducted in order to examine the research questions. Descriptive statistics, which included values such as minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages, were calculated using SPSS. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to estimate relationships between continuous variables. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare mean values across different groups. Finally, structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to determine the predictive role of English exposure on pronunciation anxiety. The findings revealed a statistically significant, direct, and negative effect of English exposure on pronunciation anxiety. Pronunciation anxiety was significantly higher among female students compared to males and among middle school students compared to high school students. No significant effect of the age at which students started learning English or receiving private English courses on pronunciation anxiety was found. Students who began learning English during preschool and those who received private English lessons exhibited higher exposure levels. However, gender and school level were not found to have a statistically significant effect on exposure levels.