A correlation study between self efficacy belief and oral performance of first year english majors at hoa sen university

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - A CORRELATION STUDY BETWEEN SELFEFFICACY BELIEF AND ORAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HOA SEN UNIVERSITY Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fullfillment of the Master’s degree in English Language Course code: 1641900 By DAM KIM THAN Supervised by NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, JUNE 2018 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: A CORRELATION STUDY BETWEEN SELF-EFFICACY BELIEF AND ORAL PERFORMANCE OF FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HOA SEN UNIVERSITY In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Linguistics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Ho Chi Minh City, July 2018 DAM KIM THAN ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, DAM KIM THAN, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Art (English Linguistics), accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposit in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh City, July 2018 Signature:………………………………… DAM KIM THAN iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the following personalities, whose helped me for the completion of this Master Thesis Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, my thesis advisor, who shared her profound knowledge which was vitally important in this study and provided me with guidance, encouragement and patience throughout the duration of this thesis I would also like to show gratitude to Dr Nguyen Thu Huong, Head of the Department of English-American Language and Culture, for offering me an opportunity to conduct the survey at Hoa Sen University and recommending other teachers to assist me during the survey process I’d like to acknowledge the assistance of Dr Tran Ngoc Tien and Dr Lu Van Tuan for arranging their busy time to give value comments on my research questionnaire I am especially grateful to thank Mr Nicolas for all his willing and enthusiasms to help me conduct the survey in his five classes of Listening and speaking in the 17.1A semester My sincere thanks also go to all the students for their participation in the survey I very much appreciate to my colleagues for supporting me in my work during my research To all my friends and family members, I am appreciated for taking care of me and encouraging me during my research Finally, to whom I failed to mention, my deepest thanks and gratitude to all of you iv ABSTRACT Self-efficacy is known as a person's belief in his or her ability to successfully perform a particular task (Bandura, 1997) It affects feelings and thoughts, tasks choice, goals setting, how to cope with challenges, effort, and persistence (Bandura, 1997) Learners' with high self-efficacy may attain better learning outcomes In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, the relationship between self-efficacy belief and academic performance has been studied widely with various results The study, therefore, aimed to examine the self- efficacy belief of first-year English majors at Hoa Sen University and the relationship between students' belief of their ability in speaking skill and their actual speaking performance The target students of this study were 116 first-year students at the Department of English-American Language and Culture, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hoa Sen University in the 17.1A semester, the school year 2017- 2018 A survey with the questionnaire was used to gather data on students’ speaking self-efficacy belief while the final speaking test results of the 17.1A semester, the school year 2017- 2018 was applied to measure the students’ oral performance The findings showed that the speaking self-efficacy beliefs of first-year English majors at Hoa Sen University were at moderate level A positive relationship between students' self-efficacy and their speaking performance was found at a weak level Besides, the results also indicated that there was no difference in gender of the students’ self-efficacy beliefs Then, some recommendations or implications were suggested in other to help students improve their academic performance Keywords: self-efficacy belief, ability, speaking task, speaking performance, oral performance, gender difference, EFL context v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS .x CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Rationale of the study .3 1.3 Objectives of the study .4 1.4 Research question .5 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definitions of the key terms .6 1.8 Organization of the thesis: .7 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Conceptions of self-efficacy 2.1.1 Historical overview of self-efficacy 2.1.2 Definitions of self-efficacy .10 2.1.3 Similar constructs 12 2.1.4 Factors that influence Self-efficacy 14 2.1.5 Measuring Self-efficacy in academic settings 16 2.2 Previous studies on self-efficacy 18 2.2.1 Self-efficacy and gender 18 2.2.2 Self-efficacy and learning achievement in EFL context 20 vi 2.3 Conceptions of speaking 24 2.3.1 Definition of speaking .24 2.3.2 Functions of speaking .25 2.3.3 Factors affect performance in speaking skill of EFL students 26 2.3.4 Communicative competence & performance 27 2.3.5 Assessment of speaking skill 29 2.4 Conceptual framework 30 CHAPTER 32 METHODOLOGY 32 3.1 Research Design .32 3.2 Research location 33 3.3 Research Population .33 3.4 Research Instruments .36 3.4.1 Speaking Self-efficacy Questionnaire .36 3.4.2 Reliability and Validity of the Questionnaire 38 3.4.3 Final oral exam score 39 3.5 Data Collection Procedures 41 3.6 Data analysis procedures 42 CHAPTER 43 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS .43 4.1 Introduction 43 4.2 Results 43 4.2.1 Students’ belief of their self-efficacy at speaking skill 43 4.2.2 Students’ actual oral performance 55 4.2.3 Gender differences in the students’ self-efficacy beliefs 57 4.2.4 Relationship between self-efficacy belief and oral performance 58 4.3 Discussion 64 4.3.1 Students’ self-efficacy beliefs in speaking skill .65 4.3.2 Gender difference in students’ self-efficacy beliefs .69 vii 4.3.3 The relationship between students’ self-efficacy beliefs and their speaking performance .70 4.4 Summary .73 CHAPTER 74 CONCLUSION 74 5.1 Conclusion 74 5.2 Implications 75 5.3 Limitation of the research 77 5.4 Recommendations for further research 77 REFERENCES 79 APPENDICES 91 APPENDIX A: LETTER REQUEST FOR THE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 91 APPENDIX B: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) 93 APPENDIX C: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 95 APPENDIX D: FINAL SPEAKING TEST RESULTS 97 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Gender of participants .34 Table 3.2 Level of participants 35 Table 4.1 Students’ General Feelings of the Speaking subject 44 Table 4.2 Students’ beliefs on their choices for handling challenges .45 Table 4.3 Students’ beliefs in their choices for setting goals 46 Table 4.4 Students’ beliefs in their efforts in a speaking task 47 Table 4.5 Students’ beliefs in their persistence in a speaking task 48 Table 4.6 Students’ beliefs in their ability to make presentation 49 Table 4.7 Students’ belief in their ability to ask questions .50 Table 4.8 Students’ belief in their ability to answer questions 51 Table 4.9 Students’ beliefs on their final examination score 52 Table 4.10 Summary of the students’ speaking self-efficacy beliefs .54 Table 4.11 Scores of the final examination .56 Table 4.12 ANOVA analysis for Gender differences in self-efficacy beliefs 57 Table 4.13 Correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and performance of making presentation .58 Table 4.14 Correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and performance of asking questions 59 Table 4.15 Correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and performance of answering to questions 59 Table 4.16 Correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and the final score .60 Table 4.17 Correlations between self-efficacy beliefs and oral performance of the final exam 60 Table 4.18 Consistent correlation between the variables 63 Table 4.19 Inconsistent correlation between the variables .64 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1986) Figure 2.2: Sources of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1999) .16 Figure 2.3: Conceptual framework of the study .31 Figure Gender of participants 34 Figure Level of participants .35 Figure 4.1 Students’ General Feelings of the Speaking subject .44 Figure 4.2 Students’ beliefs in their choices for handling challenges 45 Figure 4.3 Students’ beliefs in their choices for setting goals 46 Figure 4.4 Students’ beliefs in their efforts in a speaking task 47 Figure 4.5 Students’ beliefs in their persistence in a speaking task 48 Figure 4.6 Students’ belief in their ability to make presentation 49 Figure 4.7 Students’ belief in their ability to ask questions 50 Figure 4.8 Students’ belief in their ability to answer questions 51 Figure 4.9 Students’ beliefs on their final examination score 52 Figure 4.10 Level of the students’ speaking self-efficacy beliefs 55 Figure 4.11 Scores of the final examination .56 APPENDIX C: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA (Dành cho sinh viên Đại học chuyên ngành tiếng Anh học năm thứ nhất) Phiếu điều tra thiết kế nhằm xác định mức độ tự tin vào khả thân sinh viên đại học năm thứ chuyên ngành tiếng Anh trường Đại học Hoa Sen, Học kỳ 17.1A, năm học 2017-2018 PHẦN 1: THƠNG TIN CHUNG Bạn vui lịng điền thơng tin cách điền vào chỗ trống đánh dấu x vào thích hợp: Họ tên (khơng bắt buộc) Giới tính Năm sinh MSSV Chuyên ngành bạn Môn học Cấp độ tiếng Anh Tổng thời gian học tiếng Anh đến thời điểm ⃞ Nam ⃞ Nữ ⃞ Tiếng Anh ⃞ Khác:…………… ⃞ Listening & Speaking ⃞ Khác:…………………… ⃞ Cơ (Elementary) ⃞ Trung cấp (Intermediate level) ⃞ Cao cấp (Advantage) PHẦN 2: TỰ ĐÁNH GIÁ NĂNG LỰC HỌC MƠN NĨI TIẾNG ANH Bạn vui lịng cho biết ý kiến nội dung cách khoanh tròn số tương ứng thể mức độ đồng tình bạn với câu (mỗi câu khoanh tròn số) Lưu ý nhận xét riêng cá nhân bạn, khơng có đáp án sai cho câu hồn tồn khơng ảnh hưởng đến thi cuối kỳ bạn Mức độ đánh giá từ đến sau: 1: Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý 2: Không đồng ý 95 3: Trung lập 4: Đồng ý 5: Hoàn toàn đồng ý STT NỘI DUNG TỰ ĐÁNH GIÁ MỨC ĐỘ TÁN THÀNH Tôi tự tin học môn Speaking Đối với tơi, nói tiếng Anh việc dễ dàng Tơi khơng ngại hỏi giáo viên có điều tơi 3 khơng hiểu khơng biết Tơi khơng sợ sai nói tiếng Anh Tơi tin tơi nói tiếng Anh trước mặt bạn học tơi Tơi thích nói chuyện với người nói tiếng 5 Anh thơng thạo Tơi thích nói chuyện với người xứ tơi tin tơi sử dụng tốt tiếng Anh để trao đổi với họ Tôi phát âm tiếng Anh không chuẩn xác, nhiên tiếp tục cố gắng luyện tập cải thiện đươc tơi tin kiên trì thành công Tôi nghĩ việc ghi nhớ từ vựng khó, tơi tin làm tơi có cố gắng luyện tập Tơi thuyết trình tiếng Anh cách trôi chảy, tự tin Tôi tự tin vào khả việc đưa 10 nhận xét đặt câu hỏi liên quan cho thuyết trình sinh viên/nhóm khác Tơi trả lời tốt câu hỏi thảo luận 11 thêm (do giảng viên sinh viên khác đặt ra) liên quan đến thuyết trình Chắc chắn tơi nhận điểm số cao kỳ 12 thi cuối kỳ môn Speaking Xin chân thành cảm ơn bạn dành thời gian hoàn thành phiếu điều tra 96 APPENDIX D: FINAL SPEAKING TEST RESULTS 97 98 99 100 101 Turnitin Originality Report  Processed on: 04-Jul-2018 20:32 WIB  ID: 980373279  Word Count: 20099  Submitted: Self-efficacy By Than Dam Kim Similarity Index Similarity by Source Internet Sources: 17% Publications: 12% Student Papers: 9% 20% refresh 1% match (Internet from 01-Apr-2016) http://www.ccsenet.org 1% match (Internet from 22-Mar-2016) http://www.iier.org.au 1% match (student papers from 12-May-2014) Submitted to University of Wales Institute, Cardiff on 2014-05-12 1% match (Internet from 30-Oct-2009) http://nbu.bg 1% match (Internet from 20-May-2016) http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au