Relationships Among Self-Efficacy,L2 Motivational Self System And English Proficiency:A Structural Equation Modeling

There is a broad consensus in the field of foreign language learning that motivation is of great importance for learners to enhance foreign language proficiency.Motivation is the main trigger bringing learners into foreign language learning and it provides learners with a steady flow of energy in learning process.L2 Motivational Self System(L2MSS)is a recent motivation theory proposed by the famous foreign language researcher,D?rnyei.The scientificity and generalizability of the system have been widely confirmed in empirical studies.Three dimensions of ideal L2 self,ought-to L2 self,L2 learning experience constitute L2 MSS and they can be studied separately.In addition to L2 MSS,there are many social and psychological factors like self-efficacy determining the success of language learning.For decades,studies on how self-efficacy has impacts on English learning have been a hot topic at home and abroad.A growing body of studies indicated that self-efficacy significantly and positively predicts learning outcomes.Many scholars carried out studies which took self-efficacy as an independent variable and other factors as dependent variables,and they confirmed the significant correlation between learners’ self-efficacy and motivational factors.To clarify the complex casual links of these factors,this study placed them together in one model,mainly delving into the interplay among self-efficacy,L2 MSS and English proficiency in a Chinese EFL context.Through a horizontal questionnaire survey,the present study took 239 non-English major students at a university in North China as research subjects.With Amos version24.0,the study used a structural equation modeling approach to test the proposed model.This study,after repeatedly validating and modifying the model by using bootstrap method,established a structural equation model with a good degree of fitting.The purpose of the study was to reveal the influence of L2 MSS and L2 self-efficacy on English proficiency.Four research questions guided this study:(1)What is the profile of Chinese college students’ English self-efficacy,ideal L2 self,L2 learning experience and ought-to L2 self?(2)Whether ideal L2 self mediates the effect of self-efficacy on English proficiency?(3)Whether ought-to L2 self mediates the effect of self-efficacy on English proficiency?(4)Whether L2 learning experience mediates the effect of self-efficacy on English proficiency?Major findings of the study were as follow:(1)College English learners’ L2self-efficacy,ideal L2 self,and ought-to L2 self were generally maintained at a high level.Among them,ideal L2 self received the highest mean followed by self-efficacy and ought-to L2 self.L2 learning experience received the lowest mean.(2)Self-efficacy had a positive association with ideal L2 self which predicted English proficiency significantly.Ideal L2 self mediated the effect of self-efficacy on English proficiency.(3)Self-efficacy had a positive association with L2 learning experience which predicted English proficiency significantly.L2 learning experience mediated the effect of self-efficacy on English proficiency.(4)Self-efficacy had a positive association with ought-to L2 self which failed to predict English proficiency significantly.Ought-to L2 self did not play an mediating role because of its’ insignificant prediction to English proficiency.In general,the present study could lend evidences to previous studies’ findings concerning L2 learners’ factors in L2 MSS and self-efficacy,established new interplay among these factors and provided teachers and learners with insightful and practical guidance.The findings of this study may contribute to improve Chinese EFL learners’ proficiency because the importance of psychological factors such as self-efficacy,ideal L2 self was especially emphasized in this study,as well as offer empirical reference to enhancing teaching quality.