{"id":5430,"date":"2017-03-27T07:44:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T11:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=5430"},"modified":"2020-10-02T14:02:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T18:02:36","slug":"the-importance-of-self-efficacy-for-language-learners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2017\/03\/27\/the-importance-of-self-efficacy-for-language-learners\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Self-Efficacy for Language Learners"},"content":{"rendered":"

I believe it is President Teddy Roosevelt who is credited with saying \u201cBelieve you can and you\u2019re halfway there.\u201d For language learners, this couldn\u2019t be more true.<\/p>\n

\"self-efficacy<\/p>\n

One of the most powerful language learning tools is not something you can find in a book or online, it\u2019s internal. Self-efficacy is a person\u2019s belief about their own ability perform to a certain level or accomplish a task. First described by psychologist Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is not based on external influence or past experiences, but on self-perception. Perceived self-efficacy is beneficial through all of life\u2019s stages\u2014adolescence, parenthood, job hunting, etc.\u2014including the journey to learn a new language.<\/p>\n

Self-efficacious learners set more challenging goals\u2014and achieve them.<\/h4>\n

One study<\/a> on self-efficacy demonstrates that \u201cgoal choice without self-efficacy would not lead to increased performance,\u201d indicating \u201cthat self-efficacy is a vital component of personal goal-setting.\u201d Self-assured learners are more likely to dive in, set challenging goals, and have the confidence to follow through and achieve them. One student in the study \u201cexplained that even though his first goal was easy, he was not sure he could achieve it. However, by the time he wrote about his fifth goal he could say \u2018this goal was a lot harder but I was really confident\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Self-efficacious learners will take risks and make mistakes without shame.<\/h4>\n

Insecure learners are more likely to get caught up in the technicalities: \u201cThey forget the human element<\/a> of confidence that can only be realized or developed by finding the courage to\u00a0open your mouth and make mistakes.\u201d Failure is an important step on the journey to success, particularly for language learners. Some level of uncertainty and guesswork is required, which is also good news for self-efficacious learners, who \u201care more willing to guess the meaning of an unknown word in English and find it acceptable,\u201d according to a self-reporting study<\/a> amongst Turks learning English.<\/p>\n

Self-efficacious learners may enjoy the process more.<\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re less afraid of making mistakes and believe you\u2019ll success in the end, the process is likely more agreeable. The same self-reporting study<\/a>, demonstrated that \u201chigh self-efficacious students seem more likely to enjoy the experience of practicing with native speakers than their low self-efficacious counterparts.\u201d This is massively important to language learners looking to reach higher proficiency levels, as it is a long and sometimes arduous process.<\/p>\n

How can you develop self-efficacy?<\/h4>\n

With those major benefits, among others, self-efficacy should be a priority amongst language learners. For young children, self-efficacy can be instilled at home and in school. Veteran language teacher Gianfranco Conti shares several excellent recommendations<\/a> for how teachers can foster self-efficacy in their students.<\/p>\n

Of course, adult learners cannot simply compel themselves to be more self-efficacious, but there are methods by which it can be developed over time:<\/p>\n