The Relationship Between EFL Learners’ Academic Perfectionism and Their Foreign Language Engagement

Language development is significantly shaped by a learner’s personality characteristics. Due to the rise of the role of positive psychology in education, the interest in the study of the psychological constructs has influenced language instruction. In the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, an investigation into the relationship between academic perfectionism and foreign language engagement is essential to enhance educators’ understanding of the role of personality traits in foreign language education. This correlational study investigates the relationship between EFL learners' academic perfectionism and their foreign language engagement. It also assesses whether these variables statistically and significantly differ in terms of gender, department, and years of learning English. The study consists of 275 EFL learners of a foundation university in Türkiye. Gathering of data entails “Academic Perfectionism Scale”, “Language Learner Engagement Scale” and “Personal Information Form”. The independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation test were used in the analysis of the data. The findings show that EFL learners’ academic perfectionism was not found to be associated with their foreign language engagement. Additionally, academic perfectionism and foreign language engagement among EFL learners showed a significant difference based on gender, whereas department and years of learning English had no role in academic perfectionism and foreign language engagement.