Foreign Language Enjoyment among Children in the Turkish EFL Context

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Current research mainly focuses on cognitive processes, negative emotions, and adult learners, while limited studies investigate FLE among children and its variation by age, gender, and grade in the Turkish EFL learning context. This study investigates foreign language enjoyment (FLE) levels among young learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Turkey and examines whether FLE varies according to age, gender, and grade level. A descriptive research design was employed, with 667 primary school students aged eight to 11 participating. Data were collected using a background questionnaire and the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale for Children (FLES-C). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and independent samples t-tests were used for the data analysis. The study concluded that young learners have high levels of FLE. It was also found that female students have higher levels of FLE than males. It is recommended that teachers should foster positive, engaging, and inclusive learning environments that are sensitive to individual differences.