Self-efficacy, task complexity and task performance: Exploring interactions in two versions of vocabulary learning tasks

The present study aimed to better understand the interactions between task complexity, learners' self-efficacy beliefs and learners' use of learning strategies, and finally the effect of learners' self-efficacy beliefs on task performance. This was done in the context of Chinese students learning English as a foreign language in a university in China. The participants were 80 second-year university students (mean age = 20.9 years). This study used repeated measures design with task complexity as the within-participants factor, and task sequence as the between-participants factor. Each participant studied both a simple and a complex task. Results indicated a significant task effect on learners' self-efficacy beliefs and task performance, and a significant interaction effect of sequence with task complexity on learners' perceived self-efficacy beliefs in learning. When tasks were performed at the sequence of simple-complex, learners' perceived self-efficacy beliefs increased significantly for the complex version. However, when tasks were performed in the reverse sequence, there was a decrease of self-efficacy for the simple task version. At both task versions, learners with higher self-efficacy beliefs had better task performances than learners with lower self-efficacy beliefs. Results also revealed a strong correlation between learners' self-efficacy beliefs and their frequency of learning strategies use on both the simple and the complex tasks.

Jaar van publicatie:2009

Toegankelijkheid:Closed