Factors affecting EFL academic achievement: Relationship among learners' communication styles, self-efficacy and sympathetic tendency

The aim of the study is to investigate communication styles, self-efficacy, and the sympathetic tendency of EFL learners. The study researched the possible relationships among age, grade, gender, academic achievement in English, communication styles, self-efficacies, and sympathetic tendencies. 596 EFL learners in Gaziantep High School in Turkey constituted the sample. In this study, the quantitative method was used and the design was arranged as correlational. Data collection tools are "Communication Styles Scale", "Self-Efficacy Scale", and "Sympathetic Tendency Scale". The Cronbach's Alpha scores for all scales were calculated, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum) were presented and normality test was carried out. One-way analysis of variance for independent samples and ANOVA were implemented for the analysis of questions related to age and grade, independent samples t-test was used for gender-related analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlation was used to correlate academic achievement and variables. Kruskal Wallis H-test was implemented for the relationship between age and self-efficacy as self-efficacy did not show normal distribution. According to the results, learners' age, grade, gender, and academic achievement in English were not related to their communication styles, self-efficacies, and sympathetic tendencies. While self-efficacy was correlated positively with assertive and openly aggressive behavior styles, but negatively with passive behavior, and it isn't related to concealed aggressive behavior. Sympathetic tendency was related to neither self-efficacy nor communication styles. Keywords: Foreign language, communication style, self-efficacy, sympathetic tendency, achievement of English