The Relationship between Self-Efficacy Perception of Iranian ‎Intermediate EFL Learners’ Speaking and Oral Ability

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between self-efficacy perception of oral ability and speaking ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. The purpose of this study was to see whether there was any significant relationship between self-efficacy and speaking ability of learners or not. This study has been conducted to investigate differences, if any, in self-efficacy in speaking English among 20 learners from Islamic Azad University of Bandar Abbas, Iran based on gender during two different semesters. Research was conducted using a questionnaire adapted from previous research. The students perceived self-efficacy of speaking ability was measured using three constructs, namely ability, activity perception and aspiration. In general, the findings have shown that female students and male students tended to possess high levels of self-efficacy. The results also show that the students who have high self-efficacy tend to get higher score in oral performance test than those who have low self-efficacy. All in all, the students’ level of self-efficacy can influence their speaking ability or oral performance in the English language class. This study has some implications for syllabus designers to incorporate into the pedagogical language courses. This study has implications for both EFL as to the implications of the study for L2 research and pedagogy, it is suggested that, given the documented intricate reciprocity between the two levels of pragmatics research should attempt to approach pragmatic variability on the two pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic planes of language use in context.