Modelling the Relationship among Prior English Level, Self-efficacy, Critical Thinking, and Strategies in Reading Performance

Abstract

Considerable evidence indicates that self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, and academic performance are related. However, insufficient research has investigated the relationship between self-efficacy and different types of learning strategies (deep and surface processing strategies), as well as their influence on reading in EFL contexts. This study aims to investigate the effect of students' prior English proficiency on current English reading performance in school through the mediation of self-efficacy, critical thinking, and three types of language learning strategies. Moderation effects of gender and subject specialization were also examined. A large-scale questionnaire was distributed to 780 senior high school students in Taiwan. The findings from structural equation modelling showed that students' prior English level had a significant, direct impact on current English reading performance without a mediator, and significant, indirect effects on current English reading performance via the mediation of self-efficacy, critical thinking, and learning strategies. Deep processing involving critical thinking and metacognition are found to be positively related to surface processing strategies in English reading. Finally, these results suggest the generality of the overall model between males and females as well as between EFL high school students specializing in social science and science in Taiwan.Keywords: self-efficacy, memory strategy, cognitive strategy, metacognitive strategy, critical thinking IntroductionSelf-efficacy refers to the self-appraisal of one's ability, which is held to be the basis for self-confidence and motivation to accomplish and perform learning tasks (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991). Researchers have highlighted the importance of self-efficacy in academic learning, as it has been shown to influence one's effort, persistence, self-regulation, and motivation to a large degree (Bandura, 1986(Bandura, , 1997Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2003). In first-(L1), second-(L2), or foreign-language (FL) 1 contexts, reading can be influenced by differences in linguistic processing, individual and experiential factors, socio-cultural background, and institutional practice (Grabe, 2009;Grabe & Stoller, 2011). When confronted with language learning tasks, students adopt strategies to perform the task or solve specific problems, to compensate for a deficit in learning (or the test-taking process), and to ultimately enhance performance 1 Ellis (2008) differentiates second language (L2) from foreign-language (FL) learning in terms of what is learned and how it is learned. In L2 learning, the language plays an institutional and social role in communication in the community. In contrast, FL learning occurs in environments where the language plays no major role in the community and is primarily learned as a school subject solely in the classroom. In Taiwan, English is heavily classroom based and is officially considered an FL. 381(Cohen, 2007). Self-efficacy plays an important role in the choice of task...

The Effectiveness of ECOLA Technique to Improve Reading Comprehension in Relation to Motivation and Self-Efficacy

“…This method will be better carried out before the reading process begins. Students can hold discussions related to the initial knowledge of the topic contained in the reading text [38] and [39]. This step can grow both learners' self-efficacy and reading comprehension.…”

Bringing deep learning to the surface

“…Fifty-eight of the 63 studies in this category refer to one, or several, of the seminal studies of deep learning from the 1970s and 1980s when defining deep learning-e.g., Marton and Säljö (1976a), Biggs (1987Biggs ( , 1993 or Entwistle and Ramsden (1983)-clearly highlighting a connection with the conceptual framework of Student Approaches to Learning (SAL). Five of the studies included in this category do not refer to any of these publications, but they use the terms deep learning (Liem, Ginns, Martin, Stone, & Herrett, 2012; van Aalst, Hing, May, & Yan, 2007), deep-level learning strategies (Matos et al, 2017), deep processing strategies (Chou, 2017) and deep cognitive learning strategies (Şen, 2016). However, the main elements in the definitions in these five publications are clearly similar to the definitions of the 58 other publications in this category.…”

“…Three publications in this category, Parker and colleagues (2011;2013;2017) describe deep learning as learning for adaptive transfer: …a kind of deep learning that we call adaptive, flexible or transferable. Following Bransford and Schwartz (2000) and Hatano and Inagaki (1986), we take an understanding to be deep when it is both complex and adaptable; that is, when it is differentiated (composed of diverse cases or problems) and elaborated (much can be said about each case), yet integrated (coherent, it all hangs together) and flexible (is useable in novel problems later) (Parker et al, 2017, p. 255).…”

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“…The research studies in self-efficacy area has confirmed that there are two major types of self-efficacy, namely; (1) generalized self-efficacy, the belief that one could be successful on a non-specific, global task, and (2) specific self-efficacy, the belief that one can complete a task-specific behavior from a domainspecific construct (Bandura, 1997;Green, 2003;Troia, Shankland, & Wolbers, 2012). In academic setting, especially English language teaching, there are domains in which self-efficacy is operationalized specifically, such as reading (Chou, 2017;Solheim, 2011;Taboada Barber et al, 2015;Walker, 2003), listening (Smith, Kathleen Pichora-Fuller, Watts, & La More, 2011), speaking (Bolívar-Cruz, Verano-Tacoronte, & Galván-Sánchez, 2018, and writing (Balci, 2013;Callinan et al, 2018;Ekholm et al, 2015;Huerta et al, 2017;Lichtinger, 2018;Matoti & Shumba, 2012;Prat-Sala & Redford, 2012;Villalón et al, 2015). Among those domains of self-efficacy in ELT, writing self-efficacy is an interesting and developing area for both self-efficacy and writing researches.…”