Self-Confidence and Self-Efficacy among ESL Students

Rationale/Problem Statement

English remains the most commonly spoken language in the world today. Hundreds of people across the globe rely on this language for personal communication as well as conducting business. While native speakers account for a significant number of those who use the language, there are millions of non-Native individuals who have learnt English and are now using it for communication. While the non-Native speakers have embraced the language with excitement and enthusiasm, they experience serious challenges that frustrate their efforts to master English. For example, as Khong and Saito (2014) determined, English as Second language (ESL) learners encounter hardships such as cultural barriers which make it difficult for them to become fluent. Khong and Saito observed that ESL teachers also experience the challenge presented by cultural differences. If not addressed effectively, these challenges can hamper the learning process. The purpose of the proposed study is to explore the role that self-efficacy, emotional distress and self-confidence plays in shaping the experiences of ESL students. This study is grounded in the understanding that ESL students grapple with real and serious hardships that should be addressed if the students are to report positive outcomes. Therefore, since it sets out to shed light on the dynamics of ESL teaching and learning, the study is indeed significant and presents practical impacts. It is expected that the study will present teachers with the insights that they need to enhance the self-confidence and self-efficacy of students while helping the students to overcome emotional distress.

Research Questions

As is the case with most other research endeavors, the proposed study will be guided by a number of research questions. The main research question is: “What are the impacts of self-esteem, self-confidence, and emotional distress on English Language Learners?” This question is rather broad and may be difficult to answer comprehensively. For this reason, it was felt wise to develop a number of sub-questions. These sub-questions are listed below:

What are the views of teachers of ESL students regarding the strategies and techniques that they can adopt to boost self-efficacy and bolster self-confidence while shielding students against emotional distress?

What are the observed effects of emotional distress, self-esteem and self-efficacy on performance and behavior of ESL students?

The relevance and importance of the two sub-questions is indeed clear. By answering the first question, the study will highlight the perspectives of teachers concerning how they can help students to achieve higher levels of self-efficacy and self-confidence. Moreover, this question provides an opportunity for the teachers taking part in the study to share their views about the damaging impact of emotional distress and how they can eliminate it. There is some evidence that emotional distress disrupts learning and adversely affects academic performance (Khawaja, Chan & Stein, 2017). It is expected that the study will confirm this. The second question will be vital as it will allow the researcher to gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the experiences of ESL learners.

Literature Review

The research and academic communities seem fascinated by self-efficacy, self-confidence and emotional distress and the impacts that they have on ESL students. This fascination is evidenced by the huge volume of literature focusing on these issues. Mandokhail, Khan and Malghani (2018) are among the scholars who have explored the effect of the three forces on students. Adopting a non-controlled participant observation approach, the study that they conducted involves an exploration of the experiences of students at a women’s university. The main observation that Mandokhail and his colleagues made is that there is a positive association between self-efficacy, self-confidence and the proficiency of ESL students. Basically, this finding means that when ESL students believe confidently that they possess the competency that they need to master a particular language, they are able to achieve proficiency. Mandokhail, Khan and Malghani also observed that the levels of self-esteem vary students and depend largely on the learning environment. Essentially, these researchers observed that for students to develop the self-esteem that they need to excel, the classroom environment needs to be supportive. This environment is shaped mostly by teachers who have an obligation to provide ESL students with all the support and resources they need to flourish. 

Mandokhail and his team are not isolated in establishing a positive link between self-esteem, self-efficacy and oral proficiency of ESL students. Arifin (2017) also conducted a study that addressed the relationship among these factors. For his study, Arifin personally observed a group of ESL students. How and whether the students were active participants in the classroom is the main issue on which Arifin focused his observation. He was able to establish that the psychology of the students played a vital role in determining their levels of involvement. According to Arifin, students with low levels of self-confidence and self-efficacy tended to shy away from speaking in class. This is not surprising as it is in line with the observations that Mandokhail et al. made. Another important finding that Arifin made is that students who lacked confidence were also unable to focus in the classroom and this severely limited their ability to speak the English language. In addition to shedding light on how student statuses and dynamics affected their proficiency, the study that Arifin carried out also addressed the role that teachers play. He confirmed that teachers also need to be confidence and possess self-efficacy if they are to drive positive outcomes among their students.

Above, the works of various scholars whose studies addressed the same question as the proposed research have been cited. Edy (2013) is yet another researcher who authored an article that allows readers to better understand the importance of self-esteem. He used a simulation approach to evaluate the capacity of ESL students to speak the English language. The finding that he documents in his text confirms the observations made by the researchers discussed above. According to Edy, the students who lacked self-confidence were unable to competently speak English. On the other hand, those who acted confidently impressed with their English fluency. Aljafen (2013) also investigated the relationship between self-esteem, self-confidence and proficiency of ESL students. Working with a group of 296 students, Aljafen administered questionnaires as part of his effort to understand how science students performed. According to Aljafen, the students who took part in his study reported high levels of anxiety when required to write in English. To explain this observation, Aljafen notes that the anxiety results from the fact that for the students, English is a foreign language in which they are not competent. The result that Aljafen obtained can be extended to conclude that while emotional distress impairs one’s ability to become proficient in English, lacking this proficiency also erodes self-confidence. In essence, there appears to be a cycle where self-esteem is both a determinant of English language proficiency as well as an outcome. 

This far, it has been shown that self-esteem and self-efficacy are needed for ELS students to thrive. Various scholars have focused their attention on determining the factors that influence the self-esteem and self-efficacy levels of ESL students. Milivojevic (2014) is one such scholar. He determined that students who are beginning to learn English language experience higher levels of anxiety compared to their peers who are more experienced. Basically, according to Milivojevic, exposure to the English language plays a crucial role in building competence, thereby enabling students to feel more confident and endure lower levels of anxiety. He also reported in his text that English language proficiency helps to enrich the social interactions and relationships of students. This means that students are able to harness the English language to participate in meaningful and satisfying relationships. The insights that Milivojevic shares in his text echo the findings that Aljafen made. According to Aljafen, when students have previously received weak education, they are unable to fully develop the competence expected in English language. Aljafen basically found that a student’s academic history define their experience when they pursue ESL. Previous exposure to the language serves as a solid and reliable foundation for the acquisition of advanced competence and proficiency. 

Above, it has been made clear that self-esteem and self-efficacy are positively and directly related to proficiency. To further understand the relationship among these factors, it is helpful to consider research on the various techniques and strategies that teachers can implement in their quest to create confident ESL students with high self-efficacy and self-esteem levels. Christie (2018) is among the researchers who have presented these strategies. In her text, Christie reports that she conducted a qualitative study aimed at highlighting simple and practical techniques that a teacher can adopt. According to Christer, role playing, storytelling, group discussions and singing are among the most effective interventions. These techniques are so simple that a teacher would not need to incur huge costs or endure inconvenience while implementing them. Shi (2017) is another scholar who proposed strategies that teachers can adopt to have a meaningful impact on ESL students. These strategies focus mostly on how teachers can enhance the self-efficacy levels of their students. According to Shi, one of the most effective measures is positive reinforcement and affirmation. Shi advises teachers to reinforce positive beliefs of ESL students. For example, teachers could help their students to celebrate the milestones that they make and offer encouragement. Strauss (2018) joined Shi and Christie in recommending strategies for building the confidence and proficiency of ESL students. After conducting a survey involving 29 students, Strauss determined that intensive text reading is an effective strategy. He proposes that teachers should challenge and support students as they engage with texts. By helping students to engage deeply with the texts, this strategy establishes competence and builds proficiency. 

The strategies presented above are different in how they are implemented and the outcomes that they yield. However, these strategies are unified by the fact that they empower students to take charge of the learning process. Kim, Wang, Ahn and Bong (2015) also recommend a strategy that empowers and places students at the center of the learning process. According to Kim and his team, ESL teachers need to implement self-regulated learning. Essentially, self-regulated learning is an approach where students play a more active role in shaping how learning occurs. In addition to endorsing self-regulated learning, Kim and his colleagues note that the implementation of this approach yields massive improvements in ESL student efficacy levels. To make this observation, these researchers worked examined the efficacy profiles of EFL students. They noted that self-regulated learning makes it possible for teachers to develop tailored measures and interventions that correspond to the efficacy level and proficiency of individual students. This is as opposed to the traditional techniques which see teachers employ the same strategies in their dealings with all students without accounting for differences in the proficiency and efficacy of the students.

The primary purpose of conducting the literature review was to determine the views and perspectives of different scholars regarding the role that self-efficacy and self-confidence play in influencing the outcomes and experiences of ESL students. Another reason for performing the review is to identify gaps and establish the proposed study as significant. From the review, it was observed that while extensive research has been performed, there are some issues that scholars have either missed or ignored. One of these issues is how teachers can accommodate the cultural backgrounds and identities of their EFL students. The proposed study will shed light on this question. It will present teachers with knowledge concerning the steps that they can take to ensure that their classrooms reflect the cultures of their students. Another gap that the proposed research will help to fill concerns the environmental modifications that teachers can do to tackle emotional distress and improve self-efficiency and self-efficacy of ESL students. As will be revealed in a later section, the study will involve an interview with two EFL teachers who are expected to provide information on how their classrooms enhance student wellbeing, performance and outcomes. In addition to presenting fresh insights, the study will also confirm and reinforce what is already known about the association between EFL proficiency, emotional distress, self-efficacy and self-confidence. 

Research Methodology

In this section, an overview of the specific steps that will be followed when conducting the proposed study is provided. The purpose of this section is to show that the study will be performed in accordance with established research principles and standards and with the goal of ensuring that the study is indeed valid. The proposed research will be of the qualitative variety. This research design was selected deliberately and after careful thought. In opting for this design, the researcher was motivated by the understanding that the study will involve an investigation of a natural phenomenon. This makes qualitative research the most appropriate design. Furthermore, among the aims of the study is to obtain insights (facts and opinions) from teachers and ESL students. By adopting the qualitative design approach, the study ensures that the data collection methods create opportunities for participants to share facts and perspectives. While it is true that the qualitative design is best aligned with the proposed study, the researcher recognizes that this design has flaws. For example, unlike quantitative design which makes it possible for researchers to collect verifiable and objective data, much of the information that the qualitative approach yields is subjective. However, since the proposed study will include multiple data collection methods, it is expected that any and all biases will be detected and eliminated. Overall, the qualitative approach is aligned with the purpose of the proposed study and will allow for the collection of the insights needed to answer the research questions listed in a previous section.

Participant Selection

One of the most important steps of the research process is participant selection. When conducted properly, this step enables the researcher to recruit participants who are relevant to the research question and are able to provide the insights that the researcher expects. For participant selection, the proposed study will work with the English department of an institution which offers English language instruction. This institution brings together students from a variety of countries. The international nature of its scope and operations makes this institution the ideal source of the participants required. Furthermore, for most of the students at this institution, English is a second language. This means that the students have experienced some of the challenges associated with ESL learning and are therefore uniquely placed to shed light on the role that self-efficacy, self-efficacy and emotional distress play. In essence, the institution already has the subjects and some of the resources required for the successful implementation of the proposed study.

The participant selection process extends beyond identifying the institution from which to obtain the subjects. It is also concerned with how the participants will be identified and invited to take part in the proposed study. Purposive sampling will be adopted to recruit 20 of the hundreds of students who take ESL classes at the institution introduced above. Essentially, purposive sampling sees the researcher recruit participants by referring to the objectives of the study that they wish to conduct and the traits of the population from which the sample will be derived. As noted above, the institution that will supply the participants offers English language training to hundreds of students for whom English is a second language. Therefore, these students hold key insights that are consistent with the objectives of the proposed study.

Data Collection

The validity of any study hinges heavily on the techniques that a researcher adopts for data collection. In addition to ensuring that their data collection approaches are aligned with their research questions, researchers also need to confirm that these techniques comply with established guidelines and standards. After careful thought and reflection, it was determined that participant observation and interviews are the most promising and appropriate data collection techniques. These approaches are described in greater detail below:

Participant Observation

One of the advantages of indirect participant observation is that it enables the researcher to examine subjects in their natural environment. Using this method, the researcher is able to establish raw and unmodified behaviors. This is the main reason for the inclusion of the participant observation approach in the data collection process. As part of the observation, the researcher will sit in class with the ESL students. This class will require the participants to speak and take part actively and it will therefore be possible for the researcher to identify specific behaviors relevant to the study. While watching the participants, the researcher will be taking down notes. These notes will serve as a crucial record that will be consulted when writing the report. In addition to quietly observing the participants, the researcher will also conduct silent videotaping. While there are concerns that the videotaping could violate the privacy rights of the participants, this step is important so as not to taint or contaminate the research process with biases. Overall, the participant observation process will yield important insights that are crucial to answering the research questions.

Interviews 

Interviews will supplement participant observation. As opposed to participant observation which will involve ESL students, only teachers will take part in the interviews. Two teachers running ESL programs at the institution introduced earlier have already been identified and will be recruited for the interviews. The questions to be posed to these two teachers are varied and address a number of important and relevant themes. The focus of the questions range from the environmental resources needed to create self-confident ESL students to how teachers can identify students who need referrals. Provided in the appendix is a full list of the questions. While rather simple, the questions are loaded with insight and will create an opportunity for the teachers to discuss how they ensure that the learning environment stimulates the acquisition of English language skills while boosting self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Data Analysis

With the data collected, the research process will proceed to the analysis of this data. The purpose of the analysis is to identifying underlying truths contained in the data. As noted above, some of the data will be obtained through interviews. To understand the larger truths that this data represents, thematic analysis will be conducted. Essentially, thematic analysis is concerned with the identification of patterns and over-arching ideas. An elaborate six-step process will be used for the thematic analysis. At step one, the researcher will scrutinize the interview questions and responses in a bid to gain deeper and clearer familiarity with the data. Step two involves the development of the codes to be used to make sense of the data. These codes refer to the particular measures and metrics to which special focus will be given. For the proposed study, self-esteem, self-confidence and emotional distress are the codes to be used. The following definitions of these terms will be adopted:

Self-esteem: pride and self-regard; the belief in one’s capacity to accomplish

Self-confidence: faith in an individual’s competence and abilities

Emotional distress: unpleasant emotional response; anxiety

The development of the codes will be followed by the identification of themes. At this third stage, the thematic analysis will seek to point out similarities in the views expressed by the interviewees. These similarities will serve as the building blocks of the themes. Step 4 of the thematic analysis will be concerned with determining consistency between the identified themes and the developed codes. At the fifth step, the identified themes will be assigned names and the last step of the thematic analysis will involve the writing of the report that details the entire research process.

An equally elaborate process has been developed for the analysis of the data emerging from the participant observation. The analysis of this data will mainly involve comparing the observations made to what other researchers have established. For example, it is expected that during the observation, it will be determined that confident EFL students with high self-esteem speak more frequently and boldly in the classroom. This will be taken as indication that the students have acquired competency and proficiency. More importantly, this observation will be consistent with the findings made by other researchers concerning the effect of self-esteem, self-confidence and emotional distress on ESL proficiency.

Methods of Achieving Validity

It was pointed out that the proposed research will be qualitative. One of the problems that this design raises is that the insights obtained are often subjective. It becomes difficult for the researcher to make generalizations on the basis of these insights. By being subjective, qualitative research suffers low validity. However, there are some steps that researchers can implement to enhance the validity of their qualitative studies. These strategies include triangulation. Basically, triangulation is concerned with employing multiple data collection techniques to ensure that the research accommodates a variety of perspectives (Heale & Forbes, 2013). Triangulation will be used in the proposed study since the data for the study will be collected through direct observation and interviews. If there is consistency in the data from the two methods, it will be concluded that the study is valid. Providing detailed descriptions of how data was collected and the participants recruited is another method for ensuring validity. In a previous section, the procedure followed for collecting data and sampling have been described in great detail. This description helps to build the validity of the research. As part of efforts to further enhance the validity of the proposed study, an invitation is issued for other researchers to replicate the study. If their results match those obtained from the study, there will be a basis to rule that the proposed study is valid.

Potential Ethical Problems

When conducting studies, researchers need to be mindful of ethical issues. Among these issues is the privacy of participants. Researchers have an ethical obligation to ensure that the privacy and confidentiality rights of their subjects are protected (Kaiser, 2009). They should obtain consent before collecting information and accord the information utmost protection and confidentiality. As noted already, direct participant observation is one of the data collection methods that will be used. This method will involve secretly videotaping the participants. While videotaping is justified and needed to protect the integrity of the research process, it can be argued that this method breaches the privacy of the participants. To avoid any ethical problems, the research will strive to ensure that no personally identifiable details are included in the tapes. Furthermore, all care will be taken to limit access to the tapes. Following the completion of the study, the tapes will be discarded.

Limitations

As is true for other studies, the proposed research is imperfect. It has some limitations which may erode its validity and appeal. One of these limitations lies in the small sample. Only 20 ESL students will be observed. This number is rather small and may not allow for a full understanding of the issues to be investigated to be gained. Another limitation can be found in the very design of the study. Being qualitative, the study is subjective. Therefore, it will be difficult to make sweeping generalizations. Despite these limitations, the researcher is confident that the proposed study will be conducted in a way that complies with standards and research practice.

Conclusion

The proposed study seeks to provide ESL teachers with vital information that they need to promote student success. In particular, through the study, teachers will be able to ensure that their classrooms have the resources that students require to achieve competence and proficiency. For data collection, interviews and participant observation will be carried out. These methods will yield data which will be analyzed through thematic analysis. The researcher expects that the study will reveal that self-esteem and self-confidence are necessary ingredients for ESL student success. While the study suffers some limitations and ethical problems, on the whole, it is properly designed and of practical significance.

References

Arifin, W. L. (2017). Psychological problems and challenge in EFL speaking classroom.  Register Journal ,  10 (1), 29-47.

Christie, L. S. (2018). Teachers’ strategies to improve students’ self-confidence in speaking. Register Journal, 11 (2), 121-138. 

Edy, R. S. P. (2013). The effect of students’ self-esteem on their English speaking ability at the second year of SMPN 14 Bandar Lampung. 

Heale, R., & Forbes, D. (2013). Understanding triangulation in research. Evidence-based Nursing, 16 (4). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/eb-2013-101494

Kaiser, K. (2009). Protecting respondent confidentiality in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 19 (11), 1632-41. 

Khawaja, N. G., Chan, S., & Stein, G. (2017). The relationship between second language anxiety and international nursing student stress. Journal of International Students, 7 (3), 601-20.

Khong, H., & Saito, E. (2014). Challenges confronting teachers of English language learners. Educational Review, 66 (2). doi: 10.1080/00131911.2013.769425

Kim, D., Wang, C., Ahn, H. S., & Bong, M. (2015). English language learners' self-efficacy profiles and relationship with self-regulated learning strategies. Learning and Individual Differences, 38, 136-142.

Mandokhail, S., Khan, F. R., & Malghani, M. (2018). Impact of ESL Learners' Self-Esteem on 

Their Oral Proficiency.  International Journal of English Linguistics,  8 (3), 210-222.

Milivojevic, V. (2014). Examining the relationship between: English as a second language on 

self-esteem; self-efficacy; confidence; stress and anxiety.

Shi, L. (2017). Empirical study on learners’ self-efficacy in ESL/ELF context. College Student Journal, 50 (3), 454-65. 

Strauss, A. M. (2018). The efficacy of a whole language approach to ESL teaching in an under-graduate classroom. Journal for Language Teaching, 52 (1), 46-60. 

Appendix

Interview Questions

How does the Common Core guide your work with ELS?

If I was to walk into your classroom, how would it look different from your non-ELS colleagues’ classroom?

What has been your greatest success working with ELS?

A colleague comes to you and says that they believe an ESL student needs a referral. How do you respond?

What supports need to be in place for you to be a successful ESL teacher?