The relationship between students\u27 self efficacy and their English language achievement

Many studies have been carried out on this concept of self efficacy in the academic settings. For example, Schunk (1995) stated that students when engaged in activities are affected by personal (e.g., goal setting, information processing) and situational influences (rewards, feedbacks). These provide students an idea on how well they learn. Self efficacy was enhanced when students perceived they performed well. On the other hand, Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara and Pastorelli (1996), reported that parents\u27 academic aspirations for their children, influence the children\u27s academic achievement directly or indirectly by influencing their self efficacy. Based on the theoretical explanation on self efficacy and findings of past studies, it is therefore the aim of this study to find out the relationship between students\u27 self efficacy and their English language achievement. In Malaysia, English is a second language but since 2003, English is the medium of instruction for mathematics and science subjects for year one, form one and form six students. Based on this scenario, it is therefore pertinent to find out whether performance in the English language is largely determined by their perceived English language efficacy. A descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 1,146 students from eight secondary schools in the Petaling district, Selangor. The instruments used to measure self efficacy were the Self Efficacy Scale developed by Bandura (1995) and the Self Efficacy Scale developed by Kim and Park (1997). The findings showed that 51 percent of students had high self efficacy while 48 percent showed low self efficacy. Correlational analysis showed positive correlations between several dimensions of self efficacy that is, academic achievement eficacy (r = 0.48, p = 0.001)other expectancy beliefs (r = 0.34, p = 0.005)and self assertiveness (r = 0.41, p = 0.005) with academic performance in English language. In conclusion, achievement in English language will improve when students have high self efficacy in the language. The implications are discussed in relation to teaching and learning within the school settings