An investigation of the relationships among metacognitive awareness, self efficacy beliefs and foreign language learning anxiety of secondary school students by structural equation modeling

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among the metacognitive awareness, self efficacy beliefs and foreign language learning anxiety of secondary school students by using the structural equation modeling. The research was carried out in 2018-2019 academic year on 285 7th and 8th grade students studying at Unsal Secondary School, Kepez, Antalya. In the study, the Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Scale, the Self-efficacy Scale for Children and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Children were used with a personal information sheet. For the data analysis of the research, which is designed in the model of correlational survey model, descriptive statistics and correlations were figured out and the structural equation modeling was used to develop the model showing the effect of the metacognitive awareness and self efficacy beliefs of secondary school students on their foreign language learning anxiety. The descriptive statistics showed that the students have medium level of metacognitive awareness, self efficacy beliefs and foreign language learning anxiety. As a result of the correlation analysis, it was found out that there is a high level of statistically significant correlation between students' metacognitive awareness and self efficacy beliefs; there is a low level of statistically significant correlation between students' metacognitive awareness and foreign language learning anxiety; there is a medium level of statistically significant correlation between students' self efficacy beliefs and foreign language learning anxiety. To test the multi directional relationships among the variables of the study, the structural equation modeling was used. It was examined whether the students' metacognitive awareness has a mediating effect on the relationship between their foreign language learning anxiety and their self efficacy beliefs. The result showed that metacognitive awareness has no effect on the relationship between foreign language learning anxiety and self efficacy beliefs. However; it was stated that there are directional relationships among the variables of the study. The results of the study were discussed; it was emphasised that metacognitive awareness, self efficacy beliefs and foreign language learning anxiety are the important individual differences that have interactive relationships with each other. It was also stated that metacognitive awareness and self efficacy beliefs have the power to affect the foreign language learning anxiety. On the basis of the results of the study, suggestions about practice and researchs were also presented. Key Words: The metacognitive awareness, self efficacy beliefs, foreign language learning anxiety, the structural equation modeling