THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED TEACHER SUPPORT ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE EMOTIONS AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: EVIDENCE FROM TÜRKİYE
ASES INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC STUDIES CONGRESS, Ankara, Türkiye, 8 - 10 Mayıs 2026, ss.298-308, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Ankara
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.298-308
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study investigates the relationship between perceived teacher support and foreignlanguage
emotions among primary school students in Türkiye, with a particular focus on
enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom in English-language learning. Drawing on theoretical
perspectives from educational psychology and second language acquisition, the study
conceptualizes teacher support as a multidimensional construct comprising emotional,
instrumental, appraisal, and informational dimensions. While previous research has established
the importance of affective factors in language learning, limited attention has been given to how
different types of teacher support shape young learners’ emotional experiences, especially in
the Turkish educational context. Data were collected from 412 primary school students enrolled
in Grades 4 and 5 in public schools across different regions of Türkiye. A structured
questionnaire adapted from validated international scales was used to measure perceived
teacher support and foreign language emotions. The instruments were translated and culturally
adapted to ensure contextual validity. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine
the relationships between teacher support dimensions and emotional outcomes, and multi-group
analysis was conducted to explore gender differences. The findings reveal that emotional and
instrumental support are significant predictors of students’ emotions in foreign language
learning. Emotional support is positively associated with enjoyment and negatively associated
with both anxiety and boredom, indicating that students who perceive their teachers as caring
and supportive experience more positive and less negative emotional states. Instrumental
support also contributes to increased enjoyment and reduced anxiety, highlighting the
importance of practical guidance and scaffolding in facilitating learners’ confidence. Appraisal
support is found to enhance enjoyment and reduce boredom, suggesting that constructive
feedback plays a role in sustaining engagement. In contrast, informational support does not
show a significant relationship with emotional outcomes, indicating that knowledge
transmission alone may be insufficient to influence students’ affective experiences. The study
also identifies gender-based differences in the effectiveness of teacher support. Emotional
support is more strongly associated with reduced anxiety among female students, whereas
appraisal support is more effective in reducing boredom among male students. These findings
underscore the importance of adopting gender-sensitive and context-responsive teaching
strategies. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive,
multidimensional analysis of teacher support within a primary school EFL context in Türkiye.
It highlights the critical role of relational and practice-oriented teaching approaches in shaping learners’ emotional experiences and provides implications for teacher education, curriculum
design, and classroom practice.