A Study On The Correlation Between Self-efficacy And Learning Achievements Of Non-English Majors-based On Attribution Training

In recent years, the application of attribution theory and self-efficacy theory in college English teaching were widely noticed by researchers. Attribution theory stated that individuals attempted to explain the reasons for their success or failure consciously or unconsciously, and they often use a variety of information to attribute their academic success or failure during the learning process. This kind of attribution causes their cognitive, emotional, motivational and behavioral changes, thus affecting their subsequent learning activities and learning achievements. Self-efficacy was an important factor in predicting and influencing students’ learning achievements. Students’ judgment on their own learning ability would affect their learning behavior and the degree of effort in their learning process. Studies showed that the ways of self-attribution would affect the formation of students’ sense of self-efficacy directly, so the degree of teacher’s emphasis on students’ attribution and self-efficacy would make a significant impact on students’ English learning achievements.Self-efficacy and attribution were two important factors that affected students’ learning achievements, and many studies demonstrated the influence of self-efficacy and attribution on learning achievements respectively. Based on the previous studies, the author would regard self-efficacy and attribution as the composition part of the individual factors to examine learning achievements of non-English majors. This study attempted to strengthen learner’s self-efficacy by means of attribution training, thus improving learners’ learning achievements. The research questions were as follows:(1)What are the current situations of non-English majors’ self-efficacy and attribution?(2) What changes does attribution training have in students’ attribution style?(3) Can attribution training improve learners’ sense of self-efficacy?(4) Can attribution training improve learners’ academic achievements ultimately?In this study, the author carried out one-semester (15weeks) teaching program based on attribution training, using a sample of90sophomores in Grade2012of Shenyang Normal University with45students in the experimental class and45students in the comparison class. Study instruments adopted included questionnaires, interview and language proficiency tests. During this program, attribution training was integrated into the classroom teaching in the experimental class while the comparison class adopted the daily teaching. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted to analyze the results. Independent-samples T-test and Paired-samples T-test were performed to evaluate the differences in the experimental class and the comparison class on English proficiency tests results and the changes in attribution tendency and self-efficacy level.The results indicated that compared with the students in the comparison class, attribution training could alter negative attributions of the students in the experimental class into positive ones, influencing their sense of efficacy and improving their learning achievements. Through one semester of attribution training, the students in the experimental class could make favorable attributions toward their success and failure, and their level of self-efficacy as well as the English achievements also improved. Moreover, the conclusion part pointed out the limitations of the present research, and further recommendations for college English teaching were presented in the end.