（英语语言文学专业论文）英语学习自我效能与自主性英语学习能力的实证研究.pdf

descriptive chinese abstract i descriptive chinese abstract 随着以学习者为中心的教学理念的确立， 学习自主性被视为语言学习过程中的先决 条件，培养学习者自主性成为外语教学最重要的目标之一。holec(1981)将自主学习定义 为 “一种对自己学习负责的能力” 。 dickinson(1993)认为学习者具备自主学习能力意味着 他能够确定学习目标、识别学习内容和进程、选择学习内容和策略、监控学习进程及评 估学习效果。这一概念的提出引起外语教学界的广泛关注。许多语言学家、学者纷纷以 此为中心展开了大量研究和探讨， 但是这些研究主要集中在自主学习概念的界定及其理 论基础的剖析和培养自主学习能力的方法及必要性和可行性等几方面， 而从情感因素特 别是自我效能的角度探讨自主学习的实证研究尚不多见。 自我效能是指个体对自己是否 有能力组织和执行某种特定行为的判断。 认知心理学家bandura(1977)认为自我效能是个 体行为强有力的决定性影响因素。学生的自我效能感作为影响自主学习的重要因素，能 激发和调节其自主学习。 本研究试图将英语学习自我效能作为影响自主性英语学习能力的一个情感因素， 通 过对来自湖南省五所大学的260名三年级非英语专业学生进行问卷调查来探究学习者英 语学习自我效能与自主学习能力的现状及其关系， 为教师提高学生的自主性英语学习能 力和个性品格提供理据。问卷所得到的数据采用spss12.0软件进行独立样本t检验，方 差分析，相关分析和回归分析。 数据分析结果表明：1）不同英语水平的非英语专业学生英语学习自我效能水平总 体上存在差异：学业优秀者的自我效能水平高于中等和学业偏差者；学习优秀者和偏差 者之间自我效能存在显著差异；2）非英语专业男女生在英语学习自我效能感方面不存 在显著差异；3）英语水平与英语学习自我效能呈正相关；4）非英语专业学生自主性英 语学习能力总体上趋向一般，且不同英语水平的学生自主性英语学习能力存在差异：学 业优秀者和中等者的自主性英语学习能力明显高于学业偏差者；5）男女学生在自主性 英语学习能力上无显著差异；6）英语水平与自主性英语学习能力呈正相关；7）英语学 习自我效能与自主性英语学习能力之间存在显著正相关； 在自主性英语学习能力的四个 维度中，策略运用与目标设定能有效预测英语学习自我效能，其总体预测值为27%；就 自我效能而言， 学习能力自我效能和学习目标自我效能能很好地预测自主性英语学习能 力，其总体预测值为27.4%。 结合自我效能和自主学习理论，作者在论文中对研究结果进行分析，并就如何将研 descriptive chinese abstract ii 究成果应用于教学中提出建议， 强调应重视情感对自主学习能力培养的重要作用, 为学 习者营造一个安全的心理环境, 使他们积极自主地进行语言学习。 在文章的结尾部分， 作者指出本研究的局限性，并对今后相关课题研究提出建议。 关键词：英语学习自我效能；自主性英语学习能力；英语水平 english abstract iii english abstract with the establishment of the learner-centered teaching philosophy, learner autonomy is generally considered to be a prerequisite in language learning processes, and fostering learner autonomy is recognized as one of the most important goals in language teaching. holec(1981) defines learner autonomy as “the ability to take charge of ones own learning”. dickinsin （1993）contends that an autonomous learner should understand the aims and methods of teaching, set his/her learning goals, select and make use of appropriate learning strategies, monitor their use of these strategies and self-asses or monitor their own learning. ever since the birth of the concept, learner autonomy has become a hot issue in the research of foreign language education and many linguists and researchers have focused on the research of learner autonomy. however, most of the studies center on the definitions and analyses of theoretical bases of learner autonomy and the ways, necessity and feasibility to foster leaner autonomy while few empirical studies on learner autonomy have been carried out in the perspective of affective factors, especially self-efficacy. self-efficacy refers to peoples judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances. according to bandura (1977), self-efficacy is a determining element in human behavior. as one of the key factors that affect learner autonomy, self-efficacy can motivate and regulate students learning. taking self-efficacy as one influential affective variable on learner autonomy, the present study attempts to examine the current situation of self-efficacy and autonomy in english learning of chinese non-english majors and the correlation between them by administering a questionnaire to 260 third-year non-english majors attending xiangtan university, changsha university, hunan normal university, hunan university of technology and central south university of forestry and technology in the hope of offering some theoretical warrant for english teachers in the improvement of students autonomy in english learning and personal qualities. the statistical package for the social sciences 12.0 (spss12.0) is employed to manage, display and analyze data; independent samples t-test, pearson correlation, one-way anova and regression analysis are applied. the analyses of the data of this study show: 1) students with different levels of english proficiency differ in self-efficacy in english learning: the level of self-efficacy in english learning of successful learners is higher than that of intermediate and unsuccessful learners; there exist significant differences in self-efficacy in english learning between successful english abstract iv learners and unsuccessful learners; 2) there is no significant gender difference in the level of self-efficacy in english learning; 3) there is a positive correlation between learners english proficiency and self-efficacy in english learning; 4) non-english majors in china have a moderate level of learner autonomy in general; and students with different levels of english proficiency differ in autonomy in english learning: successful and intermediate learners have a much higher level of autonomy in english learning; 5) there exists no significant difference in the level of autonomy in english learning between male and female students; 6) learners english proficiency is positively correlated with autonomy in english learning. 7) there exists a significant and positive correlation between self-efficacy and autonomy in english learning. among the four components of autonomy in english learning, strategy use and goal setting are good predictors of self-efficacy in english learning with a total predictive value of 27%; as far as english learning self-efficacy is concerned, sense of course competence and sense of self-confidence for goal are predictive of autonomy in english learning with a total predictive value of 27.4%. based on the theories on self-efficacy and learner autonomy, the author interprets the results of this research and states the pedagogical implications of the present study. it suggests that the role of affect should be emphasized in the development of autonomy in english learning and a psychologically secure environment should be created for learners to perform more autonomously in english learning. at the end of the thesis, the limitations of the present study are recognized and suggestions for future studies on the similar topics are made. key words: self-efficacy in english learning; autonomy in english learning; english proficiency 湘湘 潭潭 大大 学学 学位论文原创性声明学位论文原创性声明 本人郑重声明：所呈交的论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取 得的研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何 其它个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。对本文的研究做出重要贡献 的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法 律后果由本人承担。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 学位论文版权使用授权书学位论文版权使用授权书 本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学 校保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被 查阅和借阅。本人授权湘潭大学可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入 有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编 本学位论文。 涉密论文按学校规定处理。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 导师签名： 日期： 年 月 日 introduction 1 introduction 0.1 background of the study in the last two decades, the concept of “learner autonomy” has become part of the mainstream of research and practice within the field of language education. many researchers radically see learning how to learn as one of the most basic and important educational objectives and considerable research on it has been conducted from different perspectives. the research on learner autonomy abroad is mainly concerned with three aspects (fan changrong, 2004:51-59): 1) definitions of learner autonomy (holec, 1981; little, 1991; gardner benson candy, 1991; dam, 1995; dickinson, 1992; wenden, 1998); 2) factors that influence learner autonomy, including attitudes and beliefs ( chan, 2001; cotterall, 1995), motivation (dickinson，1995；spratt, humphreys 3) cultivations of learner autonomy (cotteral, 2000; mcclure, 2001). the studies on learner autonomy in china started in the 1980s, most of which were on the introduction of learner autonomy abroad, the necessities and ways to cultivate learner autonomy (zhou xinqi, 1998; zheng ming, 2000; hua weifen, 2001; peng jinding, 2002; wei yuyan, 2002 etc). learner autonomy has been defined in different ways, but they have usually included these central features (littlewood, 1999:71): 1) students should take responsibility for their own learning; 2) taking “responsibility” involves learners in taking ownership (partial or total) of many processes which have traditionally belonged to the teacher, such as deciding on learning objectives, selecting learning methods and evaluating progress. in other words, the responsibility for aspects of the language learning process (such as setting goals, selecting learning strategies, and evaluating progress) has been transferred from the teacher to the learner. according to dickinson (1993:330-336), autonomous language learners should 1) identify whats been taught； 2) formulate their own objectives； 3) select and implement appropriate language strategies, often consciously； 4) monitor their own use of language strategies; 5) make self-assessment, that is, monitor their own learning. there exist individual differences in the learning processes such as goal setting, task and strategy selecting, monitoring and evaluating. therefore, the study of individual differences introduction 2 along with learner autonomy is of great importance. among factors contributing to these individual differences, self-efficacy is considered to be a key variable (schunk people with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided. in contrast, people who doubt their capabilities shy away from difficult tasks which they view as personal threats. according to banduras social cognitive theory, peoples beliefs about their capabilities are determining elements in human behavior and motivation. zimmerman, bandura guo li, 2000); classroom-based teaching (hui yaling, 2003); english learning strategy training (hua weifen, 2002; wang duqin, 2002) and modulation of the national curriculum (peng jinding, 2002). as far as self-efficacy is concerned, extensive research has been done on its influence on introduction 3 learners academic achievements and its correlation with learning strategies. but most studies were done in fields such as mathematics (schunk, 1984b; pajares pajares mccarthy, meier multon, brown, it is individuals beliefs about their capabilities, chapter 1: literature review 6 rather than their actual capabilities, that accurately predict performance attainments. self-efficacy beliefs, which lie at the very core of social cognitive theory, determines “ whether coping behavior will be initiated, how much effort will be expended, and how long effort will be sustained in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences” (lent, brown and larken,1984:356). the higher the perceived efficacy, the greater is the sustained involvement in the activities and subsequent achievement (schunk, 1981:93). within the educational setting, ehrman (1996:137 cited from arnold, 2000:16) defines self-efficacy as “the degree to which the student thinks he or she has the capacity to cope with the learning challenge”. students self-efficacy beliefs help determine what students will do with the knowledge and skills they possess. as a consequence, academic performances are highly influenced and predicated by students perceptions of what they believe they can accomplish (pajares, 1996:325). in banduras self-efficacy theory, several other terms such as efficacy beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, efficacy expectations，the perceived efficacy or perceived self-efficacy, sense of efficacy and perceptions of efficacy mean the same as self-efficacy. they are interchangeably used. moreover, self-efficacy is a domain-specific assessment of competence to perform certain tasks, therefore, there are different specific feelings of self-efficacy. for example, we have mathematics self-efficacy, writing self-efficacy, sport self-efficacy, etc. in this thesis, we are concerned with self-efficacy in english learning, which refers to students beliefs in their capabilities to learn english. 1.1.2 sources of self-efficacy peoples beliefs about their efficacy can be developed through four major sources of information: mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and physiological and emotional states (bandura, 1986:399-401). the most influential source is the interpreted result of ones previous performance, or mastery experience. outcomes interpreted as successful raise self-efficacy; those interpreted as failures lower it. after strong efficacy expectations are developed through repeated success, the negative impact of occasional failures is likely to be reduced. the second source of self-efficacy information is the vicarious experience of the effects produced by the actions of others. seeing or visualizing other similar people perform successfully can raise self-percepts of efficacy in observers that they too possess the capabilities to master comparable activities. by the same token, observing others perceived to be similarly competent fail despite high effort lowers observers judgments of their own chapter 1: literature review 7 capabilities and undermines their efforts. verbal persuasion is the third source of self-efficacy beliefs which is widely used to try to talk people into believing that they possess the skills needed for success at a given task. positive persuasions may work to encourage and empower; negative persuasion can work to defeat and weaken self-efficacy beliefs. physiological states such as stress, tension and anxiety also provide information about self-efficacy beliefs. mood also affects peoples judgments of their personal efficacy. positive mood enhances perceived self-efficacy; despondent mood diminishes it. 1.1.3 influences of self-efficacy self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of behavior have great influences on human accomplishment and personal well-beings in several ways. they influence the choices people make and the courses of action they pursue. in general, people are more comfortable attempting tasks and activities at which they believe themselves capable and tend to avoid those situations they believe exceed their capabilities (relich, debus and walker, 1986:197). self-efficacy beliefs also help determine how much effort people will expend, how long they will persist in the face of obstacles or aversive experiences and how resilient they will be when confronting setbacks and obstacles. the higher the sense of efficacy, the greater the effort, persistence, and resilience. additionally, peoples judgments of their capabilities influence their thought patterns and emotional reactions (bandura, 1982:124). self-efficacy beliefs influence the amount of stress and anxiety people experience as they engage in an activity (pajares and miller, 1994:195). inefficacious individuals dwell on their personal deficiencies and imagine potential difficulties as more formidable than they really are (beck, 1976; lazarus meichenbaum, 1977; sarason, 1975 cited from bandura, 1982:123). according to pajares (2002:116), confident students engage in tasks with serenity; those who lack confidence can experience great apprehension. consequently, self-efficacy beliefs powerfully influence the level of accomplishment students ultimately realize. 1.1.4 findings of factors related to self-efficacy many studies on variables related to self-efficacy at home and abroad have come to light recently. here are some of the lists that are related to the present study. 1.1.4.1 gender gender differences in students self-efficacy are often reported. evidence generally shows that girls view themselves as less efficacious than boys at intellectual activities that chapter 1: literature review 8 have been stereotypically linked with males (bandura, 1986:419). it is also reported that boys and girls have equal mathematics efficacy beliefs during the elementary years, but, by middle school, boys begin to rate themselves more efficacious than do girls (wigfield, eccles, others have reported modest differences favoring girls (pajares, 2002:118). the academic efficacy beliefs were reported to be indifferent between male and female middle school students in china (hu guiying shell, murphy, wang kairong, xin tao and li jong, 1999; wang zhenhong and liu ping, 2000; ji yanhong, 2003). studies have proved that self-efficacy is an important predicator of academic achievements. but there is also evidence that indicates a lack of correlation between self-efficacy and academic achievements. some researchers found that there existed a weak relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievements of college students (benson, 1989:247-261) and that self-efficacy was a weak predicator of the students academic achievements (smith, arnkoff, our attempts to introduce “learner-centered” methods; and our goal of helping learners to become independent from their teachers in their learning and use of language. in spite of widespread agreement on the importance of autonomy in language education, there is a great deal of uncertainty about its meaning. in this section, various definitions of learner autonomy and characteristics of autonomous learners are reviewed. then based on the review, the definition of learner autonomy and the characteristics of an autonomous learner are proposed in this thesis. 1.2.1 definitions of learner autonomy there are various definitions of learner autonomy. one of the earliest and most frequently cited definitions of learner autonomy was given by holec (1981:3), who defines it chapter 1: literature review 10 as “the ability to take charge of ones own learning.to take charge of ones own learning is to have, and to hold, the responsibility for the decisions concerning all aspects of this learning， i.e.: determining the objectives; defining the contents and progressions; selecting the methods and techniques to be used; monitoring the procedure of acquisition; evaluating what has been acquired.”. for him learner autonomy is not an action but a capacity that potentially exists in a person. in littlewoods (1999:73) comments, autonomy is defined in educational terms as involving students capa