Investigating graduate ELT students' uncertainty experiences and uncertainty management

The present study aims to explore graduate ELT students' uncertainty experiences and how they manage uncertainty in the classroom and the thesis period. In order to achieve this goal, the mixed method research design was adopted to collect data. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 44 items and it was applied to 60 ELT graduate students studying at different universities in Turkey. The qualitative data were obtained from interviews conducted with 10 participants in a convenience sampling approach. The results indicated that there are various sources of uncertainty such as course-related, social, cognitive, and physical. In addition, it was found out that ELT graduate students had both positive and negative appraisals and emotions towards uncertainty. The findings also revealed that students employ various strategies to manage uncertainty in the classroom and the thesis period including reducing uncertainty, maintaining and resolving uncertainty, and ignoring uncertainty. There is no study about graduate ELT students' uncertainty experiences and its management both in the classroom and the thesis period. Hence, this study's findings could redound to both educators and researchers in terms of understanding graduate ELT learners' actions derived from uncertainty and contribute to the field by providing theoretical insights. Keywords: uncertainty, uncertainty experiences, uncertainty management