Investigating University Preparatory Students’ Level of Learned Helplessness in Learning English in Terms of Different Variables

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the level of learned helplessness of university preparatory students in learning English. In accordance with this purpose, it is examined whether there is a significant difference among the gender of the university preparatory students, their objectives of learning English, their residence, and students’ perceived English achievement levels with regard to students’ levels of learned helplessness in learning English. The presented study is a qualitative research using the survey model. The population of the study consists of 170 students who are studying at the English preparatory class in the School of Foreign Languages at Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University in 2017. The questionnaires were applied to all of the students, and it was seen that the number of questionnaires that could be taken into evaluation was 138. The research sample consists of 138 students. The data on the learned helplessness used in the study were collected by the “learned helplessness in learning English” scale. Frequency and percentage distributions of descriptive statistical techniques were used to determine the demographic characteristics of the study group. Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests were used in the analyses after it is recognized that the data were not parametric. According to the research findings, it has been reached that the level of learned helplessness of the students in learning English did not show a statistically significant difference according to gender and residence variables. However, research findings showed that there is a statistically significant difference among the students’ level of learned helplessness in learning English regarding objectives of learning English and perceived English achievement levels. It was also found that learned helplessness levels of the students having the objective of good career expectations in learning English are higher than the students learning English because they enjoy learning it.