Pronunciation anxiety of teaching Turkish to foreigner students in B1-B2 level classes

One of the most important issues affecting communication in a foreign language is correct and fluent pronunciation. When the literature is examined, it is seen that the number of studies on pronunciation skills in teaching Turkish to foreigners is quite limited. For this reason, it is considered important to examine the anxiety states of students learning Turkish as a foreign language towards pronunciation skills in order to contribute to the teaching activities in the field. Our study was prepared to answer the question 'What is the level of pronunciation anxiety of B1-B2 level students who learn Turkish as a foreign language?'. Relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. 'Pronunciation Anxiety in Turkish as a Foreign Language B1-B2 Classes' scale was applied to students at B1-B2 language levels in different TÖMER units in our country in 2023-2024 and sociodemographic information was obtained using the "Personal Information Form". The data obtained were analysed using SPSS- 27 package programme. The findings obtained from the research were analysed in the context of eight different variables. Among these variables, significant differences were found in gender, having someone who can speak Turkish in the neighbourhood, the number of foreign languages other than Turkish, region of origin and age. Significant differences were found only in some sub-dimensions of variables such as gender, region of origin and age. Significant differences were found in all sub-dimensions in the variables of having someone who can speak Turkish in the neighbourhood and the number of foreign languages other than Turkish. In addition to these, no significant difference was found in any sub-dimension in variables such as the duration of stay in Turkey, the purpose of learning Turkish, and the desire to continue speaking Turkish. Based on the findings, it was concluded that in order to reduce pronunciation anxiety in teaching Turkish as a foreign language, the presence of people with whom students can speak Turkish outside the school and the number of foreign languages they know are effective in pronunciation anxiety. For this reason, it is thought that it may be useful for students to learn new foreign languages and meet new people with whom they can speak Turkish in their environment in order to reduce pronunciation anxiety.