7. sınıf öğrencilerinde yabancı dil konuşma kaygısı, kaynakları ve başa çıkma stratejilerinin incelenmesi

This study aimed to examine seventh-grade middle school students' foreign language speaking anxiety levels, identify its sources, and explore their coping strategies within a Turkish context. A total of 123 seventh-grade students participated in the study. This study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The quantitative data were collected through Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire, while the qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews with 11 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results of the questionnaire, and content analysis method was employed to analyze the semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the participants studying in the seventh grade experienced a moderate level of foreign language speaking anxiety. The study also found that the participants' speaking anxiety stemmed from three types of sources: linguistic, environmental, and personal. The present study also revealed that the participants employed six types of coping strategies for their foreign language speaking anxiety: cognitive, affective, memory-related, social, metacognitive, and compensatory. Based on these findings, several implications are suggested for teachers, school administrators, and policymakers.