INNER SPEECH AS AGENCY: A SELF-DIRECTED DIALOGUE AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION IN L2 WRITING AT FUUAST

Abstract

Inner speech, often understood as internalized self-talk, performs a mediational function in regulating affective states such as writing anxiety yet it remains underexplored in non-native context (Khatib et al., 2025). Grounded in Sociocultural Theory, this qualitative study aims to explore the manifestation of self-directed speech, its dialogical structure and how it is employed by L2 learners at FUUAST during writing process to manage writing anxiety and regulate emotions. Students of BS first semester from all faculties were sampled through purposive sampling to conduct focus group interviews in order to capture rich, contextualized experiences of inner speech during writing tasks. Data was analyzed using Saldana’s (2021) coding cycles to identify agency and patterns of dialogism and regulation. Trustworthiness was established through Guba and Lincoln’s model (1985). Findings indicate that learners’ inner speech is dialogically constituted by internalized past experiences, exam discourse, teachers’ feedback and family expectations. Self-directed speech functions in unpredictable way; it regulates anxiety through self-repositioning, cognitive reframing and breaking down tasks into meaningful segments yet it may intensify anxiety if internalized critical authoritative voice is dominant. Examining inner speech, mediation and agency through the lens of sociocultural theory, this study focuses on the understanding of L2 writing anxiety from an intrapersonal emotion to the socially and historically embedded dynamics of self-regulation. Implications for teaching underscore the value creating supportive learning environment while promoting self-regulatory skills in L2 writing classrooms at FUUAST.