Conceptualizing Writing Self‐Efficacy in English as a Foreign Language Contexts: Scale Validation Through Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

This study was designed to validate a multidimensional structure of writing self-efficacy in English as a foreign language contexts, conceptualized in self-regulated learning theory and social cognitive theory. The Second Language Writer Self-Efficacy Scale was developed and evaluated through a series of rigorous validation procedures. The researchers collected data from 609 university students in China. Confirmatory factory analyses through structural equation modeling validated the proposed three-dimensional structure of writing self-efficacy, including linguistic self-efficacy, self-regulatory efficacy, and performance self-efficacy. Model comparisons confirmed the hypothesis that writing self-efficacy is a multidimensional construct, in which the three factors are conceptually related. Internal and composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were examined, suggesting satisfactory psychometric properties of the scale. The concurrent validity and predictive validity were checked by examining correlations of writing self-efficacy with motivational beliefs and writing performance. Findings revealed that the three dimensions of self-efficacy had small to moderate correlations with writing performance. Significant correlations were also found between writing self-efficacy and motivational beliefs (e.g., task value, intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation).

The 2030 Challenge in the Quality of Higher Education: Metacognitive, Motivational and Structural Factors, Predictive of Written Argumentation, for the Dissemination of Sustainable Knowledge

“…This finding is highlighting the metacognitive perspective over the motivational perspective, in relation to the argumentative writing performance. These results are supported by the study by Teng, Sun and Xu [16] where moderate correlations between the dimensions of writing self-efficacy and the scores given by evaluators to argumentative essays are shown. For their part, MacArthur, Philippakos and Graham [66] discover that self-efficacy does not significantly correlate with the scores given to argumentative essays.…”

“…It can be concluded that writing self-efficacy, at university levels, is a complex motivational construct referring to the feeling of competence to perform a variety of writing tasks, which interrelates with other factors in the writing process. Accordingly, Teng, Sun and Xu [16] discover three dimensions of writing self-efficacy, and their correlation with beliefs towards writing and with the scores obtained in the text. Additionally, Bruning, Dempsey, Kauffman, McKim and Zumbrunn [64] examine three different dimensions in writing self-efficacy, which are validated by Ramos-Villagrasa, Sánchez-Iglesias, Grande-de-Prado, Oliván-Blázquez, Martin-Peña and Cáncer-Lizaga [65].…”

“…More specifically, target 4.3 aims to ensure, by 2030, equal access for all men and women to technical, professional and quality higher education, including university education. Thus, target 4.3. aims to create the didactical conditions that guarantee high-quality university education, as well as equal access for all to this higher education, which is written communication is highlighted, deficiencies have been identified, such as lack of knowledge of self-regulation and sociocultural processes in writing [15], absence of correlation between motivational factors and writing performance [16] and inadequate structuring of the argumentative essays [17].…”

Non-English Majors’ Writing Self-Efficacy and Attribution in Learning English as a Foreign Language

“…Furthermore, writing self-efficacy was reported to be linked with motivational factors that were themselves related to writing performance, such as anxiety (Pajares & Johnson, 1996;Pajares & Valiante, 1999, 2001Woodrow, 2011;Li & Liu, 2013;Sabti, Rashid, Nimehchisalem, & Darmi, 2019), motivation (Pajares, 2003;Walker, Greene, & Mansell, 2006;Zhang & Guo, 2012), goal orientation (Schunk & Swartz, 1993;Pajares et al, 2000;Li & Xu, 2014;Teng, Sun, & Xu, 2018) and self-regulation (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994;Bruning et al, 2013;Csizér & Tankó, 2015;Han & Hiver, 2018;Qiu & Lee, 2020;Sun & Wang, 2020;Teng & Zhang, 2020). It was shown that self-efficacious writers were more confident and motivated (Zhang & Guo, 2012), experienced less apprehension, possessed stronger effort, greater perseverance and resilience, and greater interest in and attention to writing (Pajares, 2003;Woodrows, 2011).…”

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“…The two argued and claimed that argumentative writing is known as the most notable and essential standardized assessment for second language learners. On the one hand, cognitive and metacognitive strategies are functional and important in building and developing the motivational regulation strategies of language learners as revealed by studies of Teng and Zhang (2018) and Teng, Sun, and Xu (2018).…”