Discovering self-efficacy beliefs of efl learners and the relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to investigate a) the self-efficacy level of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the process of learning English, b) whether their selfefficacy levels differ according to variables, such as proficiency levels and gender. It also targets c) to explore how self-efficient EFL learners are in terms of listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. In addition, the study also aims at d) investigating whether there is a relationship between the self-efficacy level of Turkish EFL learners and their academic achievement. The setting of the study is a preparatory program. This study was implemented with 525 students enrolled at a state university in Turkey and carried out during the spring semester of the 2016- 2017 academic year. The study followed a mixed-method design; first, quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire, “Questionnaire of English Selfefficacy”, developed by Açıkel (2011) and adapted by the researcher. The results of the questionnaire were analysed via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0. Secondly, semi-structured interviews, whose protocol was developed by the researcher, with randomly selected 24 participants were carried out to assist the quantitative data with the qualitative one.