A Teaching Experiment On The Cultivation Of English Self-efficacy Among The Second Grade Students In The Junior Middle Schools

Self-efficacy refers to the subjective judgment of people which tells whether they are able tosuccessfully carry out an act or not. It is the learners’ belief, judgment or self-grasp and feelingswhen they complete learning tasks. It is derived from direct experience, alternative experience,social persuasion, emotional response and physiological state. Learning self-efficacy is aconcrete manifestation of self-efficacy in the field of learning. It reflects a subjective judgmentof the learners to control their own learning behavior and academic ability, which is reflected inthe English disciplines, namely English self-efficacy. English learning during the compulsoryeducation, especially in the second grade in junior middle schools, causes much concern becauseof its special nexus status.There has been a lot of research on English learning of this grade,however, it seldom involves the students’ self-efficacy. So we investigated the present situationof the second grade students’ self-efficacy and its related factors in the junior middle school,implemented teaching experiments, did some research and explorations, and suggested strategiesto improve students’ English self-efficacy, hoping to provide a reference.This paper uses a literature analysis, questionnaire and experimental method to investigateand know about the current situation of English learning self-efficacy of the second gradestudents in the junior middle school. We carried out a one-year experiment in an experimentalclass in a middle school of Jinan, compared with the comparative class and analyzed the researchdata.The paper is divided into six chapters, the first chapter is an introduction on the backgroundand significance of the topic, and specifically analyzes the characteristics of the second gradestudents’ English learning in the junior middle school. The second chapter is the literature review,elaborating self-efficacy research at home and abroad and its limitations. The third chapter is thetheoretical basis of the study, defining the core concepts in this paper. The fourth chapterintroduces the research design and process of the study, and also the research methods andspecific sampling procedure. The fifth chapter is the results of analysis and discussions. It tellsthe second grade students’ self-efficacy status and the possible causes and illustrates the datachange before and after the experiment from different levels and different angles. The sixthchapter is the conclusion and recommendations.The results of this study show that:①English learning self-efficacy comes mainly fromdirect experience, alternative experience, social persuasion, physiological and emotional state,and it also comes from some other factors of non-mainstream.②Training program in theexperimental class can effectively enhance students’ English learning self-efficacy. For thosewith lower pre-test English level, the effect is particularly significant.③English self-efficacy isa positive correlation to English academic achievement, but it is usually lagging behind. In otherwords, the improvement of self-efficacy is not immediately lead to the improvement of academicachievement. English scores react on the formation of the English self-efficacy. The strategies used in this study to develop students’ self-efficacy in English is effective. Thereason is mainly the following: guiding students to make correct attribution, laying a solidfoundation of English knowledge, helping students develop good English study habits, gettingstudents master scientific and efficient learning methods, paying attention to students’achievements, but not as a sole criterion to judge students’ English learning, creating a relaxingand harmonious atmosphere, arranging proper learning tasks and giving more positiveevaluations.Based on the above discussion, this paper expresses its suggestions from the three levels ofthe teachers, schools, and families. Finally, from the scientific point, the paper also proposessome advice.