The Relationship among EFL Students’ Writing Self-efficacy, Gender, and Writing Strategy Use: The Case of Grade 11 Students in Selected Secondary Schools in Jimma Town

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship among EFL students’ writing selfefficacy, gender and writing strategy use of grade 11 students of Jiren and Geda secondary schools in Jimma town (N=403). The study first investigated the relationship between gender and writing strategy use, then examined the relationship between writing self-efficacy and writing strategy use, whereas to find out the correlation among sources of writing self-efficacy varies as a function of gender was examined. Systematic random sampling techniques was used to select students from the sample secondary schools, and the data was analyzed quantitatively. Data were gathered by means of a writing self-efficacy and a writing strategy use questionnaire. in the statistical tools such as (descriptive analysis, correlation coefficient, independent sample t-test and multiple regression analysis) were employed. The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was significant and strong positive relationship between writing selfefficacy and writing strategy use. The correlation coefficient indicated that there was positive, but non-significant relationships, between gender and writing strategy use. However, the finding of this result revealed that, female students surpassed male students in their writing strategy use. Besides, the revising strategy was most frequently used whereas the pre and while writing strategies were least used regards with both male and female students. So, both male and female students displayed approximately similar frequency use of writing strategies. Therefore, there was no significant relationship between gender and writing strategy use. On the other hand, the descriptive analyses and independent t-test for the full sample indicate that writing self-efficacy sources collectively predicted students’ writing self-efficacy and writing strategy use. It was, however, only mastery experience, vicarious experience and social persuasion, while physiological state was controlled, which could statistically significant, predict writing selfefficacy and writing strategy use. Others, except for physiological state for writing self-efficacy, also, though non-significant, could modestly influence students’ writing self-efficacy and writing strategy use. In the other phase of the investigation, mastery experience and social persuasion, among the four sources, accounted for the greatest proportion of the variance in writing selfefficacy and writing strategy use for male and female students.