The Interface Between Self-Efficacy Concerning the Self-Assessment on Students Studying English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

A growing body of research in the field of EFL/ESL learning involves issues relevant to learners and their individual differences since the focus of education has shifted from teacher-directed to learner-oriented instruction in recent decades. This study grounded in self-efficacy and affective theories, sought to determine if a self-assessment would increase students’ self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a continuous self- assessment element on the self-efficacy of undergraduate students studying English as a foreign language. All participants completed the English as a Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ) during the first week of the semester (i.e., pretest) and during the final week of the semester (i.e., posttest). Participants in the treatment group also completed weekly Self-Assessment Questionnaires throughout the semester. However, English undergraduate students’ self-efficacy seemed to be heightened significantly more with continuous self-assessment than without it.