EFL Students’ Writing Strategies, Self-Efficacy, and Performance in Ethiopia: Exploring Interrelationships
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.1812Keywords:
EFL students, self-efficacy, writing performance, writing strategiesAbstract
Effective writing is essential for academic and professional success, especially for students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between different writing strategies, EFL students' self-efficacy in writing, and their actual writing performance. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving 150 EFL students. Data were collected through questionnaires, IELTS writing tests, and interviews. The results showed a fragile but positive relationship between students' self-efficacy and their use of writing strategies (r=0.119). Students who used various strategies, such as planning, revising, and self-monitoring, reported higher confidence in their writing abilities. Additionally, there was a significant but low correlation between the use of writing strategies and writing performance (r=0.114). However, writing strategies alone did not significantly predict improvements in writing abilities. These findings suggest that while enhancing students' self-efficacy and encouraging effective writing strategies can potentially improve writing performance, writing strategies alone may not be sufficient. Therefore, English teachers should focus on both training and motivating students to use effective writing strategies to address writing challenges effectively.
Downloads
References
Athiworakun, C., Vathanalaoha, K., Thongprayoon, T., Rajprasit, K., & Yaemtui, W. (2018). SWU-SET as a CEFR standardized English test. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 9(2), 261-267. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0902.06
Bai, B. (2015). The effects of strategy-based writing instruction in Singapore primary schools. System, 53, 96-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.05.009
Balaman, S. (2021). Investigating the relationship between the perception of self-efficacy and the use of self-regulated learning strategies in the English writing skill. RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, (23), 768-796. https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.949696
Basco, L.M., & Han, S.H. (2016). Self-esteem, motivation, and anxiety of Korean university students. Journal of language teaching and research, 2(6), 1069- 1078 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0706.02
Blasco, J. A. (2016). The relationship between writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and Spanish EFL students’ use of metacognitive writing strategies: a case study. Journal of English studies, 14, 7-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3069
Boonyarattanasoontorn, P. (2017). An investigation of Thai students’ English language writing difficulties and their use of writing strategies. Journal of advanced research in social sciences and humanities, 2(2), 111-118. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.26500/JARSSH-02-2017-0205
Çetinkaya, G., & Bilgan, G. (2018). The Relationship between EFL learners’ writing strategy use and their writing scores. RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, (13), 25-32. DOI: 10.29000/rumelide.504250
Chen, A. H. (2022). The effects of writing strategy instruction on EFL learners' writing development. English language teaching, 15(3), 29-37. DOI: 10.5539/elt.v15n3p29 https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2012.655240
Demir, S. (2018). The relation between the awareness level of writing strategies and writing self-efficacy. International education studies, 11(5), 59-73. DOI:10.5539/ies.v11n5p59
Erkan, D. Y., & Saban, A. İ. (2011). Writing performance relative to writing apprehension, self-efficacy in writing, and attitudes towards writing: A correlational study in Turkish tertiary-level EFL. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly March 2011 Volume 13, Issue, 13(1), 164-192.
Fajrina, D., Everatt, J., & Sadeghi, A. (2021). Writing strategies used by Indonesian EFL students with different English proficiency. Language teaching research quarterly, 21, 1-15. DOI:10.32038/ltrq.2021.21.01
Fajrina, D., Everatt, J., Fletcher, J., Astall, C., & Sadeghi, A. (2023). How do Indonesian EFL students’ writing strategies and writing process differ from English L1 students? Studies in English language and education, 10(2), 907-925. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.28888
Fikru, D. (2023). Challenges and strategies in EFL writing: Insights from Ethiopian universities. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 18(1), 77-91. https://doi.org/10.4314/bdje.v23i3.5
Ghoorchaei, B., & Khosravi, M. (2019). On the relationship between Iranian EFL students’ writing strategies and writing ability. Journal of linguistics and education research, 2(1), 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jler.v2i1.377
Golparvar, S. E., & Khafi, A. (2021). The role of L2 writing self-efficacy in integrated writing strategy use and performance. Assessing Writing, 47, 100504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2020.100504
Göy, N. (2017). An action research on the development of self-regulated writing strategies of Turkish EFL students. Eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 3(2), 191-204.
Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2022). Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. Alliance for Excellent Education.
Gupta, D., & Woldemariam, G. S. (2011). The influence of motivation and attitude on writing strategy use of undergraduate EFL students: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Asian EFL Journal, 13(2), 34-89.
He, T. H. (2019). Personality facets, writing strategy use, and writing performance of college students learning English as a foreign language. Sage Open, 9(3), 2158244019861483. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019861483
Hu, N. (2022). Investigating Chinese EFL learners' writing strategies and emotional aspects. Language education and acquisition research network, 15(1), 440-468.
Inayah, N., & Nanda, R. P. (2016). Efforts to improve writing skills of high school students. Studies in English language and education, 3(1), 50-64. DOI:10.24815/siele.v3i1.3388
Jin, H. (2023). Chinese college students’ English writing self-efficacy and writing self-regulated strategies. Frontiers in educational research, 6(20).129-137. DOI: 10.25236/FER.2023.062021
Junianti, R., Pratolo, B. W., & Wulandari, A. T. (2020). The strategies of learning writing used by EFL learners at a higher education institution. Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature, 7(1), 64-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.131
Karafil, B., & Oguz, A. (2022). Development of English paragraph writing self-efficacy belief scale. International journal of progressive education, 18(3), 105-120. DOI: 10.29329/ijpe.2022.439.8
Kifle, B. (2022). Understanding writing challenges among Ethiopian EFL students. Journal of African Education, 15(3), 233-249
Li, C., Wang, X., Hu, X., Shang, Z., & Qian, L. (2022). Relationship between socio-cultural writing strategy use and language proficiency among Chinese tertiary English majors. Journal of language teaching, 2(10), 6-16. https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2022.012
Liu, G. (2015). Investigating the English writing strategies used by Chinese senior high school students. Theory and practice in language studies, 5(4), 844. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0504.21
Mitiku Tasisa Dinsa (2023). EFL students’ writing strategies use in Ethiopia: Gender and year level. Cogent Education, 10(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2256207
Mutar, Q. M. (2019). An investigation of the relationship between writing achievement and writing strategy use by secondary school students. Journal of educational and psychological research, 16(63), 640-661.
Nigussie, E., Yigzaw, A., & Amogne, D. (2023). Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development Instruction on EFL Students’ Writing Performance and Engagement: The Case of Wollo University. Abyssinia Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 8(2), 35-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20372/ajbs.2023.8.2.884
Nurhayati, N. (2022). Strategies to improve students' writing ability and self-efficacy: A mixed method study. European journal of educational research, 12(1), 265-280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.12.1.265
Oussou, S., Kerouad, S., & Hdii, S. (2024). The relationship between EFL students’ use of writing strategies and their writing achievement. Jurnal Arbitrer, 11(1), 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25077/ar.11.1.1-12.2024
Petric, B., & Czarl, B. (2003). Validating a writing strategies questionnaire. System, 31(2), 187–215. https://doi. org/10.1016/S0346-251X(03)00020-4
Prastikawati, E. F., Wiyaka, W., & Adi, A. P. K. (2020). Online backchannel as a formative assessment in improving writing skills. Journal on English as a foreign language, 10(2), 359–384. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.2044
Raoofi, S., Binandeh, M., & Rahmani, S. (2017). An investigation into writing strategies and writing proficiency of university students. Journal of language teaching and research, 8(1), 191-198. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0801.24
Raoofi, S., Chan, S. H., Mukundan, J., & Rashid, S. M. (2014). A qualitative study into L2 writing strategies of university students. English language teaching, 7(11), 39-45. DOI:10.5539/elt.v7n11p39
Raoofi, S., & Maroofi, Y. (2017). Relationships among motivation (self-efficacy and task value), strategy use and performance in L2 writing. Southern African linguistics and applied language studies, 35(3), 299-310. https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2017.1391706
Read, J. (2022). Test review: The international English language testing system. Language testing, 39(4), 679-694. DOI: 10.1177/02655322221086211
Shen, B., & Bai, B. (2024). Chinese university students’ self-regulated writing strategy use and EFL writing performance: Influences of self-efficacy, gender, and major. Applied linguistics review, 15(1), 161-188. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0103
Sumarsono, A. Y. P., & Mbato, C. L. (2021). Undergraduate students’ self-efficacy strategies in writing academic papers. Journal of language and literature, 16(1), 21-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v16i1.29476
Sun, T., & Wang, C. (2020). College students’ writing self-efficacy and writing self-regulated learning strategies in learning English as a foreign language. System, 90, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102221
Syahriani, S., & Madya, S. (2019). Study of writing strategies used by English major students. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran, 52(3), 153-162. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23887/jpp.v52i3.18137
Teng, F., & Huang, J. (2019). Predictive effects of writing strategies for self-regulated learning on secondary school learners' EFL writing proficiency. Tesol Quarterly, 53(1), 232-247. DOI: 10.1002/tesq.462
Teng, M. F., Wang, C., & Zhang, L. J. (2022). Assessing self-regulatory writing strategies and their predictive effects on young EFL learners’ writing performance. Assessing writing, 51, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100573
Teng, M. F., & Wang, C. (2023). Assessing academic writing self‐efficacy belief and writing performance in a foreign language context. Foreign language annals, 56(1), 144-169. DOI: 10.1111/flan.12638
Teng, M. F., & Zhan, Y. (2023). Assessing self-regulated writing strategies, self-efficacy, task complexity, and performance in English academic writing. Assessing writing, 57(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.62416/ijwb-18
Tridinanti, G., Roni, R., Sari, F., & Nurulanningsih. (2020). The effect of mastery of writing theory and writing motivation on writing practices. Indonesian research journal education, 4(1), 91–104. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v4i1.8041
Wang, G. (2023). The effects of self-regulated learning writing strategies on English writing self-efficacy among Chinese non-english major students. Open journal of social sciences, 11(8), 164-176. DOI: 10.4236/jss.2023.118011
Wondim, B. M., Bishaw, K. S., & Zeleke, Y. T. (2024). Effectiveness of teachers' direct and indirect written corrective feedback provision strategies on enhancing students’ writing achievement: Ethiopian university entrants in focus. Heliyon, 10(2), 1-18 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24279
Yulianti, D. B. (2018). Learning strategies applied by the students in writing English text. Journal on English as a foreign language, 8(1), 19-38. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v8i1.583
Zhou, Q., Chen, L., & Hou, X. (2022). Exploring Chinese EFL undergraduates’ writing from sources: Self-efficacy and performance. Assessing writing, 54, 115-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2022.100663
Zhang, J., & Zhang, L. J. (2024). Profiling L2 students’ writing self-efficacy and its relationship with their writing strategies for self-regulated learning. System, 122, 1-10 103253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103253.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 GIST – Education and Learning Research Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
| Article metrics | |
|---|---|
| Abstract views | |
| Galley vies | |
| PDF Views | |
| HTML views | |
| Other views | |
