The role of self-regulated speaking strategies and related variables in foreign language learning

The research aims to identify relationships between self-regulated speaking strategies and metacognitive skills, social skills, foreign language motivation, and academic achievement of foreign language learners. It focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the strategies students use to improve their speaking skills and to encourage them to become more effective communicators. The sample of the study consists of 454 students studying in the departments of Tourism Management, Tourism Guidance and Gastronomy & Culinary Arts at a state university in Nevşehir during the fall term of the 2023-2024 academic year. The "Strategic Self-Regulation for Speaking English as a Foreign Language Scale (S2R-EFL)" adapted by the researcher, along with the "Metacognition Skills Scale" developed by Altındağ and Senemoğlu (2013), "Social Skills Scale" developed by Uslu (2022), and "Foreign Language Motivation Scale" developed by Özgür and Griffiths (2013) were used as data collection instruments. In analyzing the data obtained from these scales, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, repeated variance analysis were applied. Results show that self-regulated speaking strategies are strongly correlated with metacognitive skills, social skills, foreign language motivation, and academic success. Students frequently utilize high levels of self-regulated strategies, particularly effective in the dimensions of planning, strategical learning, anxiety control, and motivation. However, low use of feedback and performance management strategies was observed, indicating a need for additional support and guidance for students. The findings suggest that self-regulated speaking strategies significantly support social and cognitive skills in foreign language learning, highlighting the need for further research to optimize their use.