an investigation into the relationship among personality types, foreign language anxiety, and locus of control: iranian efl learners in focus

One of the key components for effective communication and promoting second/foreign language learners’ ability to produce meaningful performance is controlling their language anxiety. this study investigated the relationships among personality types, locus of control, and foreign language anxiety within the context of iranian efl learners. a non-experimental type based on a quantitative approach, the present study enjoyed a correlational design. its participants were 317 iranian efl learners who all were undergraduate university students from both genders. the context of this study was the efl face-to-face educational settings and the participants were from different fields of study at the university level in iran. data collection was conducted via three psychological questionnaires for measuring the variables. for data analysis, pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to specify the correlation between variables. to examine the mediation role of variables, z sobel and bootstrapping tests were incorporated in the analysis. this study revealed significant relationships among participants’ personality types (extroversion and introversion), locus of control, and foreign language anxiety. the findings showed that there was a significant negative relationship between personality and locus of control and also a significant negative relationship between personality types and foreign language anxiety. mediation analyses further illuminated the negative mediating role of the locus of control and the positive mediating role of the personality, shedding light on their nuanced dynamics. this study has implications for language educators, practitioners, and policymakers in terms of tailoring interventions to address individual differences and create supportive learning environments.