INSIGHTS INTO TERTIARY ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS’ WRITING SELF-EFFICACY

Abstract

Determining learners’ self-efficacy plays a pivotal role in improving their language learning process. In additional, understanding language learners’ writing self-efficacy can help to enhance their writing performance. However, EFL learners’ writing self-efficacy varies in accordance with their learning contexts. This paper, therefore, aims at presenting a study of the writing self-efficacy of English-majored students at the context of The University of Dalat in Lam Dong province, Vietnam. This study involved 179 senior English-majored students in answering closed-ended questionnaires and 15 students in participating in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data from questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 in terms of descriptive statistics, while qualitative data from interviews were analyzed employing the content analysis approach. The results revealed that participants believed that they could write English well in their daily life and perform the writing tasks English in writing classes. Furthermore, participants were found to be self-confident in their writing abilities. The findings of this study are hoped to contribute to a better understanding of English-majored students’ writing self-efficacy at the research context and other similar ones. As such, pedagogical implications are suggested for improving the quality of teaching and learning of academic writing based on English-majored students’ writing self-efficacy.