Perspectives: The Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Language Learners' Grades

This research explores the hypothesis that students with high self-efficacy:
high beliefs in their capabilities to accomplish a task, will achieve higher grades
in second language classes than students with low self-efficacy. Seventy-four
Japanese high school students were asked to fill out a questionnaire and indicate
by a yes or no response which grades they thought they could attain. They
also rated their degree of confidence as a percentage for each level. Participants'
scores were the total of confidence percentages for "yes" answers. In estimating
reliability, Cronbach's alpha for the questionnaire and its subsections was .96,
.98, and .91 respectively. A t-test was used to determine if there was any
Significant difference between low and high self-efficacy students' grades. High
self-efficacy students achieved significantly higher grades than low self-efficacy
students.