The role of peer relatedness in university students' foreign language learning process: Its relation to student motivation, and academic engagement

Foreign language learning is a natural social process requiring constant communication, peer collaboration and cooperation and social interaction. In this process, peer relatedness among students stands out as a significant factor that impact attitudes towards learning, motivation, interaction in the learning environment, and academic engagement both directly and indirectly. Supportive relationships among students significantly shape both the quality of their motivation (autonomous or controlled) and their level of participation in learning activities. This study aims to investigate the impact of peer relatedness on student motivation and academic engagement in foreign language learning. The study was conducted with 393 undergraduate students taking foreign language courses in the classroom environment in various faculties and departments of a state university in Türkiye. In the study designed with a mixed method approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed. Students' level of peer relatedness was measured through Peer Relatedness Scale, and their motivation quality and perceptions on the role of peer relatedness in the foreign language learning process were assessed through their responses to the open-ended questions. Additionally, students' agentic and behavioural engagements were measured by student engagement observation checklist filled by the instructors of relevant foreign language course (10 English, 1 French, and 1 German). The validity of Peer Relatedness Scale was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of the student engagement observation checklist was ensured by test-retest method. Descriptive analysis revealed that participants have high level of peer relatedness. It was also found that the majority of the students were motivated to learn a foreign language for autonomous reasons. Although the correlations between the variables were generally weak and statistically insignificant, students' responses to open-ended questions underlined the significant role of peer relatedness in shaping their overall foreign language learning experiences. Participants emphasized that supportive peer relationships promote collaboration and cooperation, boost intrinsic motivation, contribute to emotional well-being, and enhance academic engagement.