LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Learning http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/LLT Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 651 EXPLORING THE LEVEL OF STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY IN SPEAKING CLASS Efrika Siboro1, *Antonius Setyawan Sugeng Nur Agung2, and Charito A Quinones3 1,2STKIP Pamane Talino, Indonesia 3Saint Paul Univesity, Philippines Efrikasiboro6@gmail.com1, antonius.setyawan.007@gmail.com2, and quinoneschari83@gmail.com3 *correspondence: antonius.setyawan.007@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v25i2.4432 received 1 March 2022; accepted 18 October 2022 Abstract Exploring the level of the students’ self-efficacy toward their speaking ability is the grand design of this study. The participants of this study were 28 non-native students from the suburban area in West Borneo. Those students belong to the third semester of the speaking class. In collecting the data, they were given a questionnaire. An in-depth interview was also conducted with 3 prominent students to validate and triangulate the represented data in the questionnaire result. Adopting Bandura’s theory, the results of this study show that the students manifested slightly high self-efficacy in the magnitude dimension, slightly high self-efficacy in the generality dimension, and very high self-efficacy in the strength dimension. In addition, the in-depth interview affirms that the students’ level in magnitude is influenced by their educational background; the students’ level in generality is affected by their interests in their particular field, and the student's level of strength is determined by their strong belief. Keywords: EFL, generality, magnitude, self-efficacy, speaking Introduction Speaking is one of the most significant skills because of its function in classroom daily communication. As a productive skill, it has an important role in communication namely to express ideas and thoughts (Effendi, 2018). Considering that, mastering speaking skill implies standard English proficiency. Somehow, it is not the only standard of success. Gumartifa and Syahri (2021) and Ur (1999) vocalize that someone who masters a language should be able to speak that language. Speaking is complex because it is the accomplishment of spoken communication. Rehearsing speaking skills, and self-efficacy are significant to make students motivated and confident (self-efficacy) in their performances. At the same understanding, (Paradewari, 2017)utter efficacious student is usually good at speaking because it affects their motivation, learning, and performance. If the students have higher self-efficacy, they will be better at mastering academic subjects (Khatib, Rubaai, & Muhammad Thangaveloo, 2021). Dodds (2011) states mailto:Efrikasiboro6@gmail.com mailto:antonius.setyawan.007@gmail.com mailto:quinoneschari83@gmail.com mailto:antonius.setyawan.007@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v25i2.4432 LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 652 self-efficacy has a significant positive correlation. Students who are conscious of their self-efficacy have the competence to perform better in speaking. Students keep struggling when they find some challenges in the learning process. Self-efficacy can decide how far individuals can push themselves and how long they can survive to face difficulties (Muñoz, 2021). Dealing with these take students’ personal belief in their self-capabilities to successfully perform a speaking task. Students' self-efficacy in speaking is influenced by several factors, namely mastery experience, social persuasion, vicarious experiences, and physiological, and affective states (Bandura, 1994). Paradewari (2017) and Kontaş (2022) state that mastery experience is the most dominant factor in increasing student self- efficacy. This factor refers to students' strategies for assessing their achievement at a certain level. The experience of success and failure may evaluate the students’ learning system. Those who get successful outcomes develop self-belief about their capability. However, students who get unsuccessful outcomes undergo a feeling of doubt and uncertainty. Social persuasion pertains to constructive feedback or observation that we receive from others regarding the involvement of students in certain tasks that are believed to be able to change students' self-beliefs (Loo & Choy, 2013; Myyry et al., 2022). Vicarious experiences are significant information to observe many things. The experiences that students gain affect their level of self- efficacy. For instance, a student who can complete a difficult task, surely leads a strong belief to the other students that they are also capable of doing the same thing (El-Abd & Chaaban, 2021; Kang et al., 2021). Physiological and affective states play an important role in increasing student efficacy because students' physiological states such as fatigue, anxiety, and stress affect students' ability and belief in completing tasks. On the psychological aspect, students’ satisfaction has a positive correlation with speaking skills achievement (Asakereh & Dehghannezhad, 2015; Doordinejad & Afshar, 2014; Hodges, 2008; Rahemi, 2007). Bandura et al. (1999) point out that students’ self-efficacy can be seen from these three dimensions: magnitude, generality, and strength dimension. The magnitude dimension reflects the students’ ability to finish simple and complex tasks based on their abilities. The generality dimension relates to the students’ interest in all topics and the effort to master many fields of knowledge. The strength dimension focuses on the level of the individual strength on the individual's belief in not surrendering easily and boosts more possibilities to perform successfully. This study is supported by relevant research which is conducted by Desmaliza (2017) “student's self-efficacy and their speaking skill at lower secondary school”. The result of this study shows a significant correlation between the students’ self- efficacy and the students’ speaking skills in the seventh grader students at SMPN 2 Curug, Tangerang. It reveals the important role of a teacher to enhance the students’ speaking skills by increasing their self-efficacy. Previously, the researcher is interested to explore the level of Self-efficacy of undergraduate students in one of the private colleges in West Borneo. Those students are required to speak English, especially in Speaking class regardless they are non-native speakers and English is their foreign language. Moreover, it is considered an “alien” language (Agung, 2019). The researcher will explore the students’ self-efficacy based on the three dimensions that have been previously explained. To guide this study, the researcher formulated this question: How is the level of undergraduate students’ self-efficacy in speaking activity? LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 653 Method Research Design This study applied a mixed method. According to (Nath, Sharma, & Shukla, 2020) mixed method involved quantitative and qualitative which are interpreted through an in-depth interview and descriptive statistics. This study aims to find out the level of students’ self-efficacy in a speaking activity. The level of the students’ self-efficacy is captured in three dimensions namely: Magnitude, Generality, and Strength (Bandura et al., 1999). Research Participants In selecting the participants, the researchers considered the availability of the presence of a speaking class in one of the private colleges in West Borneo. We found the third-semester students which consist of 28 participants (7 males & 21 females). Instruments and Data Collection Two types of instruments were conducted to obtain the data in this study using a questionnaire and an in-depth interview. These questionnaires covered three main themes representing each dimension. The first theme in the magnitude dimension is connected to individual perception of the students’ ability in facing difficulties in completing tasks. The second theme in generality is linked to the students’ belief in acclimating to the degree of adjustment. The third theme presented the students’ strength to perform the tasks successfully. The measurement scale in the questionnaire was written in the Likert style of a 4-point scale. The description of the scale is 1- Always (very high self-efficacy), 2- Sometimes (slightly high self-efficacy), 3- Rarely (low self-efficacy), and 4- Never (very low self-efficacy). Data Analysis In the technique of deconstructing the data questionnaire, several steps were implemented, namely obtaining, mapping, clustering, analyzing, elaborating, and presenting the data. Furthermore, in obtaining the data from the in-depth interview, 3 students were selected purposively by reviewing the result of the data questionnaire following the lowest, intermediate, and highest scores. Those students represented the result of the questionnaire elaboration within the three dimensions. It is closely related to (Lidiyawati., & Sahara, 2021) which emphasizes purposive sampling obligates a researcher to select the sample based on the category of the population. The researcher analyzed the data based on dimensions of self-efficacy that consist of magnitude, generality, and strength dimension. Findings and Discussion To answer the research question, the researchers developed several questions related to the dimensions of self-efficacy. The questions were made based on the previous concept of Bandura’s theory. The following are the findings of the average levels of the students’ self-efficacy in speaking class. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 654 Table 1. Magnitude Dimension Item Mean Interpretation 1 I can complete easy tasks 3.44 Sometimes 2 I can complete difficult tasks 2.96 Sometimes 3 I prefer difficult tasks to easy tasks 2.12 Sometimes 4 I don’t avoid difficult tasks 3.08 Sometimes 5 Doing difficult tasks doesn't decrease the level of my self- efficacy 3.4 Sometimes Mean 3.00 Sometimes Table 1 indicates that the level of the magnitude dimension of the students’ self- efficacy is at a slightly high level. Table 2. Generality Dimension Item Mean Interpretation 1. I can master many fields of knowledge 2.6 Sometimes 2. I am interested in learning all the fields of knowledge that I master. 3.4 Sometimes 3 I believe I can complete all tasks in various fields of knowledge 3.36 Sometimes 4 I am diligent in doing tasks from various fields of knowledge. 3.24 Sometimes 5 I always want to increase my skill and knowledge 3.88 Always Mean 3.3 Sometimes Table 2 shows that the level of the generality dimension of the students’ self- efficacy is at a slightly high level. Table 3. Strength Dimension Item Mean Interpretation 1. I don’t give up easily when I fail 3 Sometimes 2. I believe I can perform well on a task even though I failed once 3.76 Sometimes 3 I always motivate myself when I fail 4 Sometimes 4 I always look for solutions to fix my mistakes 3.76 Always 5 The experience I have affects my self-efficacy 3.6 Sometimes Mean 3.6 Always Table 3 demonstrates that the level of the generality dimension of the students’ self- efficacy is very high. The following is the rating scale description of the students’ self-efficacy level. Table 4. Rating Scale Description Rating Scale Range of Perception Level of Students' Self-Efficacy 4) 3.50-4.00 Always Very High 3) 2.50-3.49 Sometimes Slightly High 2) 1.50-2.49 Rarely Low 1) 1.00-1.49 Never Very Low LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 655 Magnitude The magnitude dimension is related to individuals’ perceptions about their capability to face the difficulties that they found in speaking class. (Masitoh & Fitriyani, 2018) state magnitude dimension is not only focused on individuals' ability in solving problems but is also related to individuals' self-confidence toward their competencies in completing tasks at various levels. Table 1 shows all students have a slightly high level of self-efficacy. Based on the interview, participant NV explained that speaking is a little bit difficult for her because acquiring speaking skills is challenging. The difficulty level of the occurring topic and her anxiety affect her performance occasionally due to her educational background. The lack of experience dealing with the present topics is affected by the missing benchmarking of the environmental conditions. Previous studies (Efe, 2009; Fraser, 1994; Heikkilä & Lonka, 2006; Kolb & Kolb, 2005; Schaal, 2010; Waldrip et al., 2009) coincide that the conditions of the dynamic environments can impact speaking skills. NV: “If the topic of conversation is familiar, I can speak quite fluently but if the topic is difficult, it will be hard for me to neutralize my anxiety because I experienced no speaking class during my Senior High School years.” Generality The dimension of generality is related to what extent individuals’ beliefs are generalized in all situations (Lunenburg, 2011). (Benawa, 2018) states a person with high self-efficacy will represent the degree of their adjustment to their conditions. It means that individuals who can implement self-efficacy in all situations have high self-efficacy. They can master many fields and they are interested in all topics. Participant SS tends to choose certain topics that she is interested in. She only focuses on the subjects she thinks will be useful for his future. This student has a slightly high self-efficacy level because of her fickle interest. According to (Silvia, 2003) self-efficacy influences the students’ interest; it helps them to resolve the problem which finally increases their eagerness to master the topic. One of the four factors that influence a student's growth of self-efficacy is their interest in the speech topic (Zhang, Ardasheva, & Austin, 2020). SS: “not always interested in all the topics. I am only interested in the topics that are very crucial for me in the future as a teacher.” Strength The strength dimension refers to an individual’s belief in the ability to perform successfully in various tasks (Urban, 2006). Individuals who have high self-efficacy in the strength dimension will not be easily shaken by certain situations that weigh them down. Students who are more proficient in a second language or a foreign language tend to be more confident and less anxious (Thompson & Lee, 2014). Concerning the result of the interview, participant WD always convinces herself every time she speaks in front of the class. The sense of self-efficacy changes the perception of stress and disappointment to preserve efficaciously (Bandura, 1986; 1994; Bandura et al., 1999). LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 25, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 651-659 656 WD: “Of course. I feel nervous and sometimes I lost everything that I have prepared when I speak in a formal situation, but I always try to regulate and convince myself that I can do it.” The researchers also contrasted their work with earlier research that examined parallels and discrepancies across diverse scenarios. The first pertinent study was carried out by Lestari et al. (2022), and its similarity is the focus on public speaking. On the contrary, this study implemented a quantitative method concentrated on the effect of self-efficacy on public speaking gathered from 533 professional psychology students has an impressive display of the students' high self-efficacy. Furthermore, the second study was conducted by (Paradewari, 2017). Having similarity in public speaking class which was carried out using a questionnaire is the most visible resemblance. The discrepancies indicate that there were 43 participants, and the findings are as follows: 1) 79% of students have a greater self; 2) 81.4% of the students are conscious of their efficacy; 3) The students' feelings of self-efficacy are influenced by four factors: mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal or social persuasion, and emotional condition. Conclusion Adopting Bandura's theory, this study sets out to explore the level of the students’ self-efficacy in speaking class. The results demonstrated that the students manifested slightly high self-efficacy in the magnitude dimension, slightly high self-efficacy in the generality dimension, and very high self-efficacy in the strength dimension. Reviewing Carter et al. (2017) individuals with higher self-efficacy ratings expressed greater verbal communication confidence, as may be expected, indicating a high magnitude and strength. Reflecting on that theory, this study concludes that these students are identified to have pretty high self-efficacy indicated by their magnitude and strength. The data gathered during the interview affirmed that the students’ level in magnitude is influenced by their educational background; students’ level in generality is affected by their interests in certain fields and finally, the students' level of strength is determined by a strong belief in their capacity to accomplish a certain task. The findings of the previous study (Desmaliza & Septiani, 2018) focused on the correlation between self-efficacy and speaking skills whereas this present study explores the self-efficacy level of the students in their speaking class in the three dimensions as explained above. This study can be used as a reference to shed a light on a more personal area by gaining in-depth interviews to discover their self-efficacy beliefs. 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