A Psycholinguistic Study of Self-efficacy and Linguistic Anxiety Among Selected Second Language Learners in UNIZIK, Awka
Abstract
Numerous affective factors exert influence in the instructional and educational processes within the domain of English as a second language. The concepts of English language anxiety and self-efficacy are indicative of learners’ responses to the environment in which language learning takes place and investigating these factors is of utmost importance within an educational setting. In most cases, students experience low self-efficacy, which is caused by excessive anxiety that impact negatively on their mindsets and behaviours than those with high self-efficacy, despite the fact that English is widely used in many aspects of life. Although there are numerous studies on self-efficacy in educational environment, to the best of our knowledge, none has researched on its impact on students of English language. This study investigated how students of English at UNIZIK, Awka perceived themselves and equally wondered whether these students have high or low self-efficacy towards the English language learning. The study is significant since it uncovers reasons for students' anxiety in the process of learning English language skills. The sample size of 20 students (10 each) were purposively drawn from the Department of English Language and Literature, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka from both 100 and 200 levels within the 2022/2023 academic year. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, the researchers anchored on the descriptive methods analysis through Social Cognitive Theory propounded by Albert Bandura in 1986 which emphasizes that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior. The findings revealed that when anxiety is high in learning environment, internalisation will be low. Thus, the researchers recommended among others that learners with higher level of self-efficacy can succeed in ESL learning, which are believed will help learners to manage and overcome these problems.
