A Correlational Study Of Language Learning Strategy, Academic Self-efficacy And EFL Learning Achievement Of High School Students

Language learning strategy refers to specific actions, behaviors, steps and techniquesthat are acquired by learners for improving their second language learning efficiency.Based on many studies, language learning strategies have a relationship with students’foreign language academic achievement. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to helpstudents find effective learning strategies. While we must recognize that languagelearning is a complicated process affected by many complex factors. Combining withlearners’ other factors to research can benefit us to further understanding the process ofsecond language acquisition. Only having learning strategies can not help students realizetheir goals. Among the factors leading to individual differences, emotional factors havebecome the important factors that affect academic achievement of language learning,which plays a considerable role in foreign language learning efficiency. Arnold (2000)points out that paying attention to emotional factors can lead to more emotional learning.Emotional factors have a lot of parts, self-efficacy as an indispensable part has attractedthe interest of many researchers in the past twenty years. Bandura thinks that academicself-efficacy refers to the students’ expectation and judgment about ability whether theycan finish the learning tasks or succeed in performing a specific learning activity. It is theembodying of the self-efficacy in academic field. It has an important influence on the useof learning strategies.This paper explores the relationship among language learning strategy, academicself-efficacy and academic achievement from the perspective of English subject. Throughdistributing questionnaires about language learning strategy and academic self-efficacy ina high school in Ganzhou city, involving300students and relying on data analysissoftware SPSS17.0to analyze the valid data, this article conducts some analysis and getssome results as following: the general level of high school students’ language learningstrategy and academic self-efficacy is in the medium level; in the aspect of languagelearning strategy using frequency and the self-efficacy intensity, students in grade one aremore likely to use language learning strategies and have higher level of academic self-efficacy than students in grade2and3; the language learning strategy, academicself-efficacy and English academic achievement have significantly positive correlation;and then language learning strategy and academic self-efficacy can predict Englishacademic achievement. At the end of the paper, based on the research results, the authorprovides some advice for English teachers and learners for enhancing English learningstrategies use and raising students’academic self-efficacy level.