The relationship between self-efficacy and reading proficiency of first-year students

摘要

Self-efficacy, which is the belief about one’s ability to perform a task successfully, has beenwidely acknowledged as important in learning. This affective factor, though not explicitlyevident, has been said to play an important role in academic performance. However, its rolein reading development has not been widely investigated. To determine the relationshipbetween self-efficacy and reading proficiency, a study was conducted with first-year studentsin a South African tertiary institution. Students’ self-efficacy levels were elicited througha questionnaire and their reading proficiency was obtained through the Test of AcademicLiteracy levels (TALL), which essentially assesses reading proficiency. An analysis of varianceshowed a robust relationship between reading self-efficacy and reading proficiency for thiscohort of students. Regression analysis conducted with other affective factors showed selfefficacyas the best predictor of students’ reading proficiency. Results are discussed as theyrelate to previous research and recommendations are made to include the development ofself-efficacy in reading instruction.