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Validating an Instrument for EFL Learners’ Sources of Self-Efficacy, Academic Self-Efficacy and the Relation to English Proficiency

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Abstract

Research on self-efficacy has been a productive field while limited studies have explored language learners’ formation of academic self-efficacy. This quantitative study developed an instrument with two questionnaires for assessing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ formation of self-efficacy and academic self-efficacy. It further investigated the complex relationship among learners’ sources of self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy and their English proficiency. The participants were 700 EFL learners at a comprehensive university in China, who took a compulsory language course for improving their overall English proficiency. The results validated the two questionnaires and further confirmed the correlations among the three constructs. It is very striking to see that the ‘social persuasion’ played the most significant and positive role for predicting learners’ academic self-efficacy and all aspects of English proficiency. Moreover, ‘physiological states’ were found as a negative predictor for explaining learners’ achievements in English listening and reading. The research highlights the importance of socio-cultural factors during learners’ formation of academic self-efficacy in China, particularly the significant roles played by the influential social agents. Implications are provided for reducing EFL learners’ physiological stress and sustaining their academic self-efficacy for improving their language proficiency.

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Notes

  1. The CET Spoken English Test (CET-SET) is a national oral proficiency test for Chinese college students who are not English majors. It is organized twice a year and students who achieved qualified scores in the college English paper test, usually named CET for short, could participate in the spoken test.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to show our gratitude to all the reviewers and editors who have provided insightful comments and suggestions. The research is funded by the Humanities and Social Sciences Fund of Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant 16YJC740099, awarded to Chunping Zheng).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foreign Languages, School of Humanities, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, No. 10, Xitucheng Road, Beijing, 100876, China

    Chunping Zheng

  2. Program of Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Section 1, Heping E. Road, Taipei City, 106, Taiwan

    Jyh-Chong Liang & Chin-Chung Tsai

Authors
  1. Chunping Zheng
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  2. Jyh-Chong Liang
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  3. Chin-Chung Tsai
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Correspondence to Chunping Zheng.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

The Instrument for EFL Learners’ Academic Self-Efficacy and Its Sources

Questionnaire for Measuring the EFL Learners’ Self-Efficacy Sources

Factor 1: mastery experience (ME).

  1. 1.

    I do well on even the most difficult English assignments.

  2. 2.

    I do well on English assignments.

  3. 3.

    I have always been successful with English.

Factor 2: modelling experience from others (MO).

  1. 1.

    Seeing adults do well in English pushes me to do better.

  2. 2.

    When I see how my English teacher solves a problem, I can picture myself solving the problem in the same way.

  3. 3.

    When I see how another student solves problems in English, I can see myself solving the problem in the same way.

  4. 4.

    I have a good friend who performed very well in the English class and I admired him/her a lot.

Factor 3: self-modelling experience (SE).

  1. 1.

    I imagine myself working through challenging tasks in English successfully.

  2. 2.

    I want to learn English well.

  3. 3.

    I want to get good achievement in my EFL course.

Factor 4: social persuasion (SP).

  1. 1.

    People have told me that I have a talent in EFL courses.

  2. 2.

    Adults in my family have told me that I am a good English student.

  3. 3.

    Other students have told me that I’m good at learning English.

Factor 5: physical state (PS).

  1. 1.

    Just being in English class makes me feel stressed and nervous.

  2. 2.

    I start to feel stressed-out as soon as I begin to do my English assignments.

  3. 3.

    My mind goes blank and I am unable to think clearly when doing English assignments.

  4. 4.

    My whole body becomes tense when I have to learn English.

  5. 5.

    I always worry about my performance in English or related courses.

Questionnaire for Measuring EFL Learners’ Academic Self-Efficacy

  1. 1.

    I believe I will receive an excellent grade in this EFL course.

  2. 2.

    I’m confident I can understand the most complex material presented by the instructor in this EFL course.

  3. 3.

    I’m confident I can do an excellent job on the assignments and tests in this EFL course.

  4. 4.

    I’m certain I can master the materials being taught in this EFL course.

  5. 5.

    Considering the difficulty of this course, the teacher, and my skills, I think I will do well in this EFL course.

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Zheng, C., Liang, JC. & Tsai, CC. Validating an Instrument for EFL Learners’ Sources of Self-Efficacy, Academic Self-Efficacy and the Relation to English Proficiency. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 26, 329–340 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-017-0352-3

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