Masculinity and Its Association With English-Speaking Anxiety, Self-Compassion, and Perfectionistic Self-Presentation

Abstract

The aim of the current study is twofold. First, we intended to adapt the Male Role Norms Inventory-Very Brief (MRNI-VB) into Turkish. Subsequently, we aimed to investigate whether perfectionistic self-presentation and self-compassion mediate the linkage between adherence to masculinity norms and English-speaking anxiety. The first phase included the adaptation of the MRNI-VB at the tertiary level through the data gathered from university students (n = 377). The second phase tested the serial mediation model through the data collected from male Turkish EFL learners (n = 405). We performed the confirmatory factor analysis to adapt the inventory while we ran PROCESS v4.0 (Model 6) to test the serial mediating roles of perfectionistic self-presentation and self-compassion. The findings indicated that the CFA fit indices of the adapted version of the inventory were valid and acceptable. Additionally, the mediational analysis showed that perfectionistic self-presentation and self-compassion had a serial mediating role in the linkage between adherence to masculinity norms and English-speaking anxiety. In this respect, our study offers a brief, valid, and reliable inventory for assessing and determining the masculine role norms that can be used for tertiary-level students in Turkish settings. Further, the findings showcase the association between adherence to masculinity norms and English-speaking anxiety mediated by perfectionistic self-presentation and self-compassion. Pedagogical implications are drawn for EFL students, instructors, practitioners, and policymakers.