Analysis of academic self-efficacy of medical students learning English for specific purposes

Abstract

Introduction. English for Specific Purposes focuses on teaching and learning\n subject specific knowledge which includes specific language skills that\n particular learners need for a specific purpose. Self-efficacy is determined\n by subjective beliefs about one?s own abilities, which also applies to the\n academic setting of studying English for Specific Purposes. Academic\n self-efficacy represents the conviction of students about their own\n abilities to successfully fulfil academic tasks at designated levels. The\n goal of this research is to examine the degree of academic self-efficacy of\n medical students who learn English for Specific purposes at the Faculty of\n Medicine of the University of Novi Sad, with respect to their gender, year\n of study, grade achieved in the previous course in English, and the length\n of learning English before enrolling in the Faculty. Material and Methods.\n The study included 58 medical students. The researchers used the College\n Academic Self-Efficacy Scale questionnaire developed by Owen and Froman\n (1988) to assess academic self-efficacy. Results. Three significant factors\n were identified: general self-competence, communication with the professor,\n and attendance at lectures, with general self-competence being the most\n significant factor. Considering the independent variables, only the grade\n showed statistical significance. Establishing the grade as such a\n significant predictor can be explained by the fact that good grades and a\n high grade point average are presented as very desirable outcomes. However,\n a good grade does not necessarily mean having better knowledge or correct\n use of language. Conclusion. Further research into this topic is necessary,\n with expanding the number of participants, study programs and variables.