摘要
自我效能感是人们对自身完成既定行为目标所需的行动过程的组织和执行能力的判断。它通过选择过程、认知过程、动机过程和情绪反应影响个体的思维、情感、行动并产生自我激励。具体地说,自我效能感调节人们的行为选择;决定在他们所从事的事业中投入多少努力;在面对困难或失败时,他们能坚持多久;经受多大压力和沮丧以及从逆境恢复的活力。研究表明,自我效能感比其它任何动机因素对人的行为更具有预测力。
策略效能感指的是学生对自己使用语言学习策略解决学习过程中遇到的困难和问题的能力的感知。它通过影响学习策略的使用间接地影响学习过程和学习结果。在学习策略选择和实际使用两个阶段之间,自我效能感起着心理中介和调节的作用。
本研究使用自行设计的策略效能感调查表和Oxford的SILL量表,通过调查我国两所高等院校英语专业学生的策略效能感和语言学习策略使用基本情况,回答下列问题:
1.我国英语专业学生的策略效能感和语言学习策略使用的基本情况如何?
2.策略效能感和语言学习策略使用在性别和学校类别上是否存在显著差异?
3.策略自我效能感同语言学习策略使用是否显著相关?
4.策略自我效能感在多大程度上能够预测语言学习策略的使用?通过调查和数据分析,本研究得出以下结论:
1.我国英语专业学生的策略效能感不高,语言学习策略使用处于中等水平。语言学习策略使用倾向由高到低依次为元认知策略,社会策略,补偿策略,认知策略,情感策略和记忆策略。
2.策略效能感和语言学习策略使用在性别和不同层次学校方面不存在显著差异。但是女生在策略效能感和语言学习策略使用水平上要略强于男生。
3.策略自我效能感同语言学习策略使用存在显著的正相关。自我效能感高的语言学习者能更有效地使用更多的语言学习策略。
4.通过多元回归分析,策略自我效能感能解释语言学习策略47.6%的方差,表明策略效能感能有效预测语言学习策略的使用。
该结论为外语工作者提供了很好的启示。首先,自我效能理论能帮助我们更好认识和理解在语言学习策略选择和使用过程中,学习者的心理过程。其次,提高学习者的自我效能感是增强语言学习策略使用成效、提高语言学习水平的一个重要途径。因此,在语言教学中,除了进行语言知识、语言技能、语言学习策略的教学之外,更重要的是培养学生的自我效能感,保证语言学习策略的有效使用。
Self-efficacy is defined as people's belief about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives. It determines how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave through cognitive, motivational, affective and selection processes. Specifically, self-efficacy regulates what people choose to do, how much effort they invest in what they undertake, how long they persevere in the face of obstacles and failure experiences, how much stress and despondency they experience in coping with demanding situations, and their resilience to adversity. Self-efficacy has proven to be a more consistent predicator of behavioral outcomes than any other motivational constructs.
Strategy self-efficacy can be defined as students' beliefs in their capabilities to use certain strategies to solve problems and difficulties in their language learning. It is concerned with students' judgment in specific domain of their abilities to learn strategically. It exerts influences on learning process and learning outcomes by affecting the utilization of language learning strategies. In the process of strategy choice and performance, strategy self-efficacy mediates between learners' knowledge about language learning strategies and their actual use of language learning strategies.
This study attempts to investigate the relationship of strategy self-efficacy and language learning strategies use of Chinese English majors. Through two questionnaires, The Strategy Self-efficacy Questionnaire and The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, researcher is able to collect and analyze data on students reported sense of self-efficacy and language learning strategies use to address the research questions:
1. What are the general situations of the strategy self-efficacy and language learning strategies use of English majors?
2. Are there any significant differences in strategy self-efficacy and language learning strategy performance between students of different genders and schools?
3. Whether strategy self-efficacy correlates to the use of language learning strategies significantly?
4. To what extent can strategy self-efficacy predict the use of language learning strategies?
Results reveal that most English majors are less efficacious in their abilities to produce certain language learning strategies and use strategies in medium frequency. Gender and school differences don't contribute to the variances of strategy self-efficacy and strategies performance. Significant and positive relationship between strategy self-efficacy and language learning strategies use has been found in the investigation. Students who perceive themselves as more confident strategy users report greater strategy application. Learner's perceived strategy self-efficacy has been proven to be a strong predictor of the use of language learning strategies, being able to account for 47.6% variance of the use of language learning strategies.
The theory of self-efficacy will help to explain what happens inside the learner when he is engaging in language learning strategies choice and use so that people will have a better understanding of the psychological procedure involved in strategy choice and use.
The findings provide incentives for teachers to develop and promote learners' strategy self-efficacy along with strategy instruction, which will ultimately enhance learners' language proficiency and help them to take on challenging learning tasks through out their life-long learning.
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