Basic Psychological Needs Frustration in English Language Learning: Exploring the Role of Gender, Proficiency, and Failure Experiences

Authors : Gökhan Kayır, Hüsem Korkmaz

Pages : 29-44

Doi:10.51460/baebd.1671163

View : 213 | Download : 466

Publication Date : 2025-10-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :According to Self-determination Theory, when learners feel frustrated in the core dimensions of the basic psychological needs as competence, autonomy, and relatedness, their learning motivation decreases and the language learning process fails. This study aims to examine the frustrations of university students learning English as a foreign language in Türkiye in terms of basic psychological needs according to their gender, language proficiency level and failure experiences. In line with the research objectives, criterion sampling method was adopted while determining the participants. Adopting a correlational research design, the study was conducted with data collected from 317 students studying in the English language prepratory program at a state university in Türkiye. According to the results of the research, the students’ gender and foreign language level do not have an effect in terms of frustration of basic psychological needs. However, the fact that students receive education at the same language level again due to their past failures creates a significant difference in terms of frustration of autonomy. While it was observed that the participants received the highest frustration scores from the frustration of autonomy subscale, the lowest was the frustration of relatedness. According to the results of the study, it is recommended that course content, teaching methods and instructor competencies be increased in order to increase learner autonomy, and eliminate the frustration of the basic psychological needs of English language learners.
Keywords : İngilizce öğrenme, öz-belirleme kuramı, temel psikolojik ihtiyaçların engellenmesi, üniversite öğrencileri

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