A Study Of Non-English Majors' Self-efficacy In Speaking English Through Project-based Learning

Nowadays, economic globalization makes much higher demand for Chinese EFL learners'English speaking capacity than ever before. However, the development of Chinese EFL learners'speaking capacity apparently lags behind that of their other linguistic capabilities.Researchers have verified that language learners'oral performance is significantly correlated with their self-efficacy, which refers to people's beliefs in their own ability to perform any given task or behavior successfully.Project-based learning, a student-centered instructional approach, contextualizes learning by presenting learners with real-world issues and practices which help learners to achieve continuous learning effects. Project-based learning provides learners with numerous opportunities to have mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasions, and positive emotions, which are regarded as four major sources of self-efficacy by Bandura (1986). However, despite a great many cited advantages of project-based learning, empirical studies which are aimed to evaluate the influence of project-based learning on foreign language learners'self-efficacy are very rare at home and abroad.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of project-based learning on non-English majors'self-efficacy in speaking English. To find out the answers to the research questions, the author spent three and a half months conducting an instructional study in Suzhou Institute of Trade and Commerce. Participants chosen for the present study were 41 freshmen from an intact class. Students in the class all major in International Trading. They enrolled in an oral English course which was mainly treated with project-based learning. Two questionnaires, which were designed respectively to evaluate the strength of the learners'self-efficacy in speaking English and to identify factors that affected learners'self-efficacy, were conducted to collect quantitative data. Furthermore, in order to have a thorough knowledge about the effect of project-based learning on learners'self-efficacy in speaking English, qualitative data were also collected from interviews, project journals and course reflections. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data proved that learners acquired numerous successful experiences, vicarious experience, continuous encouragements and positive emotions through project-based learning and thereby their self-efficacy beliefs in speaking English were significantly enhanced.