Self-positioning, perceived inadequacy, and communicative disengagement among adolescent EFL learners: A qualitative psycholinguistic analysis

Abstract

Speaking-related difficulty in foreign language learning has been widely examined through constructs such as foreign language anxiety, willingness to communicate, and perceived communicative competence. Far less attention, however, has been devoted to the interpretive processes through which learners position themselves as speakers and regulate communicative engagement. Drawing on qualitative interview data from a broader mixed-methods project involving 95 upper-secondary EFL learners, the article examines communicative disengagement through the concepts of self-positioning and perceived inadequacy. A purposive subsample of students reporting moderate to high speaking-related difficulty participated in two-stage individual interviews consisting of open and semi-structured sessions. The data were analysed using interpretive thematic analysis informed by principles of constant comparison. The analysis identified four recurring patterns of self-positioning: the inadequate speaker, the blocked speaker, the context-sensitive communicative self, and the disengaged or resigned speaker. Across these patterns, reduced participation was shaped less by learners' linguistic resources than by how they interpreted their competence, anticipated communicative exposure, and negotiated the psychological risks associated with speaking. Speaking-related disengagement was therefore sustained not only by difficulty in language production, but also by expectations of inadequacy, evaluation, and interpersonal vulnerability. The findings suggest that self-positioning functions as a mediating mechanism shaping whether competence is translated into participation or communicative disengagement. Speaking-related difficulty is thus conceptualised not simply as an outcome of anxiety or insufficient proficiency, but as a psychologically mediated process shaped by learners’ interpretations of speaking situations and of themselves as legitimate speakers within classroom interaction.

Acknowledgements

The author expresses gratitude to all students who participated in the research and shared their experiences and perspectives on foreign language learning, classroom speaking, and communicative participation. Appreciation is also extended to the experts in pedagogy, didactics, and psychology whose advice and insights contributed to the research process.

Disclosure Statement

The author reported no potential conflicts of interest.

Generative AI Statement

During the preparation of this work, the author used OpenAI ChatGPT for language editing and revision support. After using this tool, the author reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes full responsibility for the content of the publication.