Examining Turkish University Students’ Sense of Achievement, Motivation, and Anxiety: A Comparison of the English- and French-Medium Education Systems

Foreign language-medium instruction at tertiary level is receiving great attention in our decade. Thus, this study examines the significance of the following psychological factors for Turkish students enrolled in tertiary education: (i) sense of achievement, (ii) motivation, and (iii) anxiety. In particular, it focuses on the perceptions of Turkish students receiving tertiary education by an English-medium instruction (EMI) or a French-medium instruction (FMI). The study also focuses on the impact of context on students’ perceptions. To collect data, students enrolled in an EMI (N = 144) and FMI (N = 214) were administered a five-point Likert scale survey. Seventeen students were also interviewed for this study, and they represented one Turkish public university and two private universities. The study revealed that the students in both contexts had a higher sense of achievement, motivation, and low level of anxiety whilst receiving foreign language as the medium of instruction. Regarding the contextual difference, however, although the EMI and FMI students both perceived themselves successful, the former was found to be more motivated, whereas the latter was found to be more anxious. This paper discusses the implications of these findings as well as giving suggestions for further research.