Self-efficacy in EFL: its sources and relationship with success (a case study at Gaziantep University)

This study intended to investigate EFL self-efficacy of the students at GUSFL. In a more detailed sense; it was aimed to explore EFL self-efficacy level of the students, relative contributions of sources of self-efficacy to EFL self-efficacy; their relation to EFL success at Gaziantep University School of Foreign Languages (GUSFL). In addition, demographic variables like age, gender and schooling background were studied in relation to self-efficacy.The present study was conducted at the end of the spring semester of 2007-2008 academic year. 175 preparatory students at GUSFL (n= 60 females and n= 115 males) participated in the study the mean age of 19.7. The data were collected through two questionnaires: the English as a Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (EFL-SEQ) and the Sources of English as a Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEFL-SEQ).The data analyses of the present study were conducted by descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis of EFL self-efficacy survey revealed that EFL learners at GUSFL had higher sense of self efficacy on language learning tasks. Also, self-efficacy was disclosed to be an influential aspect of language learning. Among the four sources of self-efficacy mastery experiences and social persuasion positively correlated with their EFL self-efficacy level (r = .676 and .698 respectively; p>.01). Furthermore, none of the above mentioned demographic variables disclosed statistically significant relation to EFL self-efficacy.