Learning Climate and Self-Efficacy Beliefs of High School Students in an EFL Setting

Language learning constitutes a prominent need in the 21st century, and many factors influence it, such as cognitive, affective, social, cultural and physical conditions. Considering that where we learn language impacts how we feel while learning, the present study dwells upon two of these conditions: learning climate and self-efficacy. In this study, 192 students from a vocational high school in Turkey were administered a Learning Climate Questionnaire, Self-efficacy Scale and one open-ended question that explored their attributions for success or failure in learning English. This descriptive study used a mixed research design.. The results showed that high school students have positive perceptions of their learning climate and their own abilities to learn English although they remain neutral on most issues, which might be indicative of their unconstructed opinions on learning atmosphere and their own language learning abilities. A statistically significant relationship was found between learning climate and self-efficacy. Qualitative data also shed light onto students’ attributions for success and failure in learning English Therefore, the present study has implications for stakeholders who make decisions on language learning and teaching procedures.

İngilizce’nin Yabancı Dil Olarak Öğretildiği Bağlamda, Lise Öğrencilerinin Öğrenme İklimi ve Öz-yeterlik İnançları Arasındaki İlişkiyi İnceleme

Dil öğrenme, 21. yüzyılın öne çıkan bir ihtiyacıdır, ve bilişsel, duyuşsal, sosyal, kültürel ve fiziksel olmak üzere birçok faktörden etkilenir. Öğrenmenin gerçekleştiği yer öğrenme sırasındaki duyguları etkilediğinden, çalışma bu faktörlerden ikisi olan öğrenme iklimi ve öz-yeterlik konularına odaklanmaktadır. Çalışmaya, Türkiye’de meslek lisesinde okuyan 192 öğrenci katılmıştır. Veriler, Öğrenme İklimi Anketi, Öz-yeterlik Ölçeği, ve İngilizce öğrenmede başarı ve başarısızlığa neden olan faktörleri inceleyen açık uçlu soru yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Bu betimsel çalışma karma araştırma modelini kullanmıştır. Çalışma bulgularına göre, lise öğrencileri öğrenme iklimi ve öz-yeterlilikleri konusunda olumlu algılara sahiptir, fakat birçok konuda kararsızlık sergilemişlerdir. Öğrenme iklimi ve öz-yeterlik arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Nitel veriler de öğrencilerin İngilizce öğrenmedeki başarı ve başarısızlıkları nelere bağladıklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Çalışma, dil öğrenme ve öğretme uygulamaları karar sürecinde paydaş olan kişilere öneriler sunmaktadır.

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