Investigation of foreign language anxiety by meta analysis method

This study aims to evaluate the overall impact of foreign language anxiety on academic achievement and its effects in terms of identified moderator variables using the meta-analysis method. Within the scope of the research problem, the study aims to obtain a general view by examining studies found in both domestic and international literature, considering moderator variables such as independent variables, methods used, data collection tools, age, grade level, and sample size. The findings of the study indicate that foreign language anxiety has a significant and negative impact on students' language achievement. The obtained effect size (-0.30) suggests that the effect of anxiety on achievement is close to a moderate level. Other data from the study show that the p-value is 0.00, which is less than 0.05, making this finding statistically significant. The standard error measures the uncertainty in the estimation of the effect size. The smaller the standard error, the more reliable the estimated effect size. In this case, the standard error is 0.02, indicating that the effect size is a fairly precise estimate. The 95% confidence interval indicates that there is a 95% probability that the true value of the effect size lies within this range. The true value of the effect size is likely between -0.35 and -0.26 with 95% probability. The confidence interval is another way to assess the precision of the effect size. If the confidence interval does not include the value of zero, it indicates that the effect size is significantly different from zero. Since this confidence interval ranges from -0.35 to -0.26, it confirms that the effect size is significantly different from zero. When all these values are considered together, it is concluded that foreign language anxiety has a significant and negative impact on language achievement. This indicates that as students' anxiety levels increase, their language achievement decreases, which is consistent with findings from other studies in the literature. For example, a study by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) found that foreign language anxiety negatively affects students' language learning process and reduces their performance. Another important study by MacIntyre and Gardner (1994) showed that foreign language anxiety disrupts cognitive processes during language learning, thereby reducing students' performance. In terms of moderator variables, the results indicate that the year variable does not have a significant effect on the model (p-value 0.20). There are limited studies in the literature investigating the effect of the year variable. However, the sample size has a significant effect on the model (p-value <0.0001), and this finding is statistically highly significant. The low standard error and narrow confidence interval indicate that the estimate is highly accurate. The high Z-value also shows that sample size has a strong impact on the model. The impact of sample size on the model is widely supported in the literature. Regarding the grade level variable, the effect of foreign language anxiety on language achievement does not show a significant difference (p-value 0.53). Both high school and university students experience a negative impact of language anxiety on achievement, but there is no significant difference in the levels of this effect. Similarly, studies categorized by publication type show no significant difference in the effect of foreign language anxiety on language achievement (p-value 0.75). In both articles and theses, the impact of language anxiety on achievement is negative and at a similar level. When examining the effects of different types of anxiety on language achievement, listening anxiety is found to have the highest negative impact. However, since the p-value is 0.12, which is above 0.05, this difference is not statistically significant. Overall, all types of anxiety have a negative impact on achievement, but listening and test anxieties exhibit more pronounced negative effects. Detailed examination of the effects of different types of anxiety (such as listening anxiety, test anxiety, etc.) on academic achievement can help identify which types of anxiety require more intervention. Longitudinal studies are important to understand the changes in anxiety over time and its long-term effects. Developing effective intervention programs to reduce foreign language anxiety and evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is also crucial. Intervention programs can help increase students' language learning success by reducing anxiety. Comparing the effects of anxiety among students at different educational levels (elementary, middle school, high school, and university) can be useful in determining which levels require more support. It is also important to train teachers to recognize and manage foreign language anxiety. Teachers can support students' learning processes by using strategies to reduce anxiety. Technological tools and digital platforms can also be effective in reducing anxiety. For example, technologies such as virtual reality (VR) can help students feel more comfortable in language learning environments. Finally, conducting qualitative research to understand students' anxiety experiences and needs is essential. Strategies developed based on student feedback are likely to be more effective. These recommendations will be useful for better understanding the impact of foreign language anxiety on academic achievement and for supporting students' language learning processes by reducing anxiety. Keywords: Anxiety, Foreign Language Anxiety, Achievement, Performance