L2 GRIT AMONG PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS: DOES SELF-PERCEIVED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY MATTER?
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L2 Grit, which refers to the passion and perseverance shown for long-term goals related to L2 learning, is considered an important non-cognitive dimension since language learning is a long process with countless challenges. Although a plethora of research has investigated the issue in various contexts, pre-service EFL teachers’ L2 grit is an area that has yet to be thoroughly examined. For this reason, this study attempted to explore pre-service English teachers’ L2 grit levels and how their self-perceived English proficiency might be related to their grit. This quantitative study collected data from 200 pre-service EFL teachers studying at a Turkish state university through a language-domain grit (L2 Grit) scale and a self-reporting question regarding how they rate their proficiency in English. The results of the data analysis revealed that the participants showed high overall L2 grit, particularly in perseverance of effort, whereas their consistency of interest was moderate, indicating a potential decline in passion over time. Self-perceived proficiency in English was found to have an impact on the participants’ L2 grit, with those reporting higher proficiency also demonstrating higher levels of L2 grit. The discussion of the research findings in light of prior research led to some recommendations for future directions.
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