On the Relationship between Self-efficacy, Perfectionism, and English Achievement among Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, perfectionism, and English language achievement among Iranian English Foreign Language (EFL) learners. A sample of 400 third-grade high school students (females) was assessed for their levels of self-efficacy and perfectionism using Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ) and Almost Prefect Scale-Revised (APS-R), respectively. Participants' scores on their final English test were also used as the measurement of their English achievement. In order to achieve the goals of the study, SPSS version 19 was used. With regard to the research questions addressed in the current study, two main questionnaires (i.e., SEQ and APS-R) were utilized and accordingly several data analytic approaches were used. Pearson Product Moment correlation was used to answer first and second questions to examine the relationship between learner self-efficacy and English achievement and the extent of the relationship between perfectionism and English achievement. The results revealed strong correlations between learners' self-efficacy and English achievement (r = .303, p <.01). It meant that the respondents with higher foreign language self-efficacy were likely to have higher English scores. Also, perfectionism was found to be negatively correlated with English achievement (r = -.064, p < .01). Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis (HMRA) was used in order to address the third research question to investigate the mediating role of perfectionism on the relationship between EFL learner self-efficacy and English achievement. However, the results of Model summary and ANOVA shed the light on the issue that there is not any relationship among learners' self-efficacy and English language achievement as mediated by perfectionism.