Examining the Effects of Self-Efficacy Sources on English as a Second Language (ESL) Self-Efficacy Beliefs and ESL Proficiency

Although English as a Second Language (ESL) learners must become proficient at English in order to successfully function in universities, there is a lack of research predicting ESL proficiency. Outside of ESL studies, self-efficacy theory has predicted human functioning in various fields: first language acquisition, education, psychology, business, etc. In spite of the predictive power of self-efficacy, it is difficult to find studies connecting ESL and self-efficacy research. Specifically, no research in ESL examines the four hypothesized self-efficacy sources.;The present study quantitatively examined 130 students in a university's intensive ESL program to answer three questions: (1) What are the effects of the four self-efficacy sources on the ESL self-efficacy beliefs of the participants? (2) Do ESL self-efficacy beliefs have a significant effect on ESL proficiency: listening, structure, and reading? (3) Is self-efficacy beliefs the mediating variable between the four self-efficacy sources and overall ESL proficiency? A demographics questionnaire, ESL Self-Efficacy Sources Questionnaire, and ESL Self-Efficacy Beliefs Questionnaire were distributed to all participants. University entrance SLEP and current TOEFL scores for all participants were studied.;Also, this study, using an ESL Self-Efficacy Interview, qualitatively examined four students to find out how they interpret their self-efficacy sources. Quantitative data was analyzed using multiple regression. Qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo 7.0 software.;Self-efficacy sources predicted self-efficacy beliefs and ESL proficiency; however self-efficacy beliefs did not predict ESL proficiency. Although mastery experiences (one of the self-efficacy sources) predicted self-efficacy beliefs and ESL proficiency, self-efficacy beliefs was not shown to mediate between self-efficacy sources and ESL proficiency. A revised conceptual framework is given. The qualitative results supported the quantitative results, providing additional insights. Some practical recommendations are given to help teachers raise the mastery experiences of students. This research is significant in that it is the first to show that mastery experiences predict ESL self-efficacy beliefs and ESL proficiency. It is also significant in that it links self-efficacy theory to ESL research in the field of Second Language Acquisition.