Beyond the Classroom Walls: Parental Attitudes, Support Systems, and the Struggle for Fluency among Turkish University EFL Learners

Language education has predominantly focused on classroom instruction and pedagogical strategies, yet the sociological aspects of learning—especially the family’s role—are often overlooked in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. This study explores how parental attitudes, support systems, and disciplinary approaches influence Turkish university students’ oral fluency in English. While educators and curricula are frequently held accountable for low communicative competence, this paper posits that sociocultural factors originating from the home environment play a crucial role. Utilizing a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design with 210 undergraduate EFL learners and 24 lecturers from four Turkish universities, data were gathered through questionnaires, interviews, and parental focus groups. Findings indicate that students with supportive and engaged parents exhibit greater self-efficacy, confidence, and linguistic agency in communication tasks. In contrast, those from indifferent or authoritarian families experience anxiety, low motivation, and stagnation in oral skills. Grounded in Bourdieu’s social capital theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and Coleman’s social context of learning, this study conceptualizes the family as an “invisible classroom” where linguistic habits, discipline, and cultural aspirations are cultivated. The paper concludes by proposing a Family-Engaged EFL Fluency Model (FE-EFM) that integrates learner development within a framework of sociological co-responsibility involving parents, educators, and institutions.

Aydın, M., & Yıldırım, H. (2021). Family influence and student motivation in Turkish higher education. Anadolu Journal of Educational Sociology, 5(2), 41-57.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.

Bektaş-Çetinkaya, Y. (2020). Language anxiety among Turkish university students: Cultural and parental predictors. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 39(4), 422-439.

Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge University Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.

Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95-S120.

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE.

Demirbilek, M. (2020). Examining factors affecting students’ academic engagement in higher education. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 6(2), 351-362.

Desforges, C., & Abouchaar, A. (2003). The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A literature review. Department for Education and Skills (UK).

Doğan, B., & Çelik, E. (2022). English language teaching reforms and challenges in Turkish higher education. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(2), 112-127.

Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 1-22.

Gonzalez-DeHass, A. R., Willems, P. P., & Holbein, M. F. D. (2005). Examining the relationship between parental involvement and student motivation. Educational Psychology Review, 17, 99-123.

Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).

Karataş, H., & Sarı, H. (2021). Sociocultural determinants of English proficiency among Turkish university students. Language and Education, 35(6), 503-518.

Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life (2nd ed.). University of California Press.

Mendez, J., & White, S. (2021). Parenting styles, discipline, and academic persistence. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(7), 934-948.

Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Özmen, S. (2022). Cultural norms and classroom participation in Turkish EFL education. TESOL Quarterly, 56(2), 389-410.

Peng, J.-E., & Woodrow, L. (2010). Willingness to communicate in English: A model in the Chinese EFL classroom context. Language Learning, 60(4), 834-876.