The Impact of Individual Interest and Proficiency on Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Foreign Language Listening

Abstract

Interest and self-efficacy beliefs are important components of motivational constructs that share some common characteristics and influence learning. In this regard, several studies have explored how these two variables relate to each other in various domains and have offered meaningful implications. However, in the field of language learning, it appears that related research is relatively insufficient, and information offered through prior studies is very limited. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate how individual interest in learning English and proficiency influence self-efficacy in listening to expand the current knowledge. With a pre-/post-test design, it analyzed the data collected from 107 EFL Korean university students with a low-intermediate English proficiency, using hierarchical regression analyses. The results reveal that, unlike at the beginning of the course, individual interest turned to be a significant factor in the development of self-efficacy in advanced English listening around the end of the semester, even predicting it more than proficiency did. On the other hand, individual interest influenced self-efficacy in basic English listening much more than proficiency did in the pre-test and maintained this pattern in the post-test. This study provides insightful information into the relationship between interest, self-efficacy, and proficiency, highlighting the essential role of individual interest in learning English. It follows that the maintenance and nurturing of interest is crucial for the development of self-efficacy beliefs which in turn can contribute to advances in language learning.