Big five personality, anxiety sensitivity, and Turkish L2 speaking anxiety in international students: a mediation model

Introduction – Second language (L2) speaking anxiety is a significant affective variable that can limit the communication processes and academic experiences of foreign language learners. Although interest in the relationship between personality traits and speaking anxiety has increased in recent years, the psychological processes through which this relationship manifests have not been sufficiently investigated. Method – The mediating role of anxiety sensitivity in the relationship between the Five-Factor Model of personality traits and L2 speaking anxiety was examined. The research is a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted with international university students learning Turkish as a second language (N = 286; 76.6% male). The data were analyzed using bootstrap-based mediation analyses. Result – We found significant negative correlations between conscientiousness, agreeableness, extroversion, and openness to experience and L2 speaking anxiety, and a significant positive correlation with neuroticism. Mediation analyses showed that anxiety sensitivity had significant indirect effects in the relationships between all five personality dimensions and L2 speaking anxiety. Discussion – The findings suggest that both personality traits and anxiety sensitivity should be considered when interpreting Turkish L2 speaking anxiety.