An Investigation into the Effects of Demographic Factors on EFL Learners’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs

Abstract

This study investigated the level of self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish university learners who majored in English. Moreover, the effects of demographic factors of gender, grade level, types of initial motivation to enter a university, and living circumstances on participants’ self-efficacy levels were explored. The participants were 301 undergraduate Turkish university learners who majored in English. Their self-efficacy was evaluated using a students’ self-efficacy scale, which measured their self-efficacy within the category of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning. The data were analysed quantitatively. A relatively good (moderate) level of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning was found for Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university learners. There was a significant difference between the self-efficacy of males and females in favour of females. However, the magnitude of the differences in the means was below medium. Moreover, the participants’ self-efficacy level did not vary by grade level and living circumstances (i.e., living alone, living with parents, living in a shared room/apartment, living in a dormitory) during the academic year. Additionally, there was not a significant difference in the self-efficacy levels of the group with initial intrinsic motivation and the group with initial extrinsic motivation to enter a university. The results of this research can be insightful for the field of educational psychology.