The Effect of Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies on Self- Efficacy Beliefs of Freshman EFL Students

This study was designed to investigate the effects of cognitive and metacognitive listening strategies on the listening-related self-efficacy beliefs of EFL students. A total of 146 first-year students, studying at ELT Department of a state university’s educational faculty, took part in the study. The sample of this study is composed of the whole population. Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), an 81-item questionnaire, was administered to participants. The questionnaire consisted of three main dimensions: motivational beliefs, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and resource management. However, the participants answered 39 items that focused on cognitive and metacognitive dimensions (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, and metacognitive self-regulation) and self-efficacy sub-dimensions. The statistical interpretation of the data was done using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. The R square of the regression model was found to be .524, and it is significant at the .01 level, which means that the variables in this regression model (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, and metacognitive self-regulation), altogether, significantly explain 52.4% of the variance in the dependent variable (listening comprehension related self-efficacy). The regression model was further analyzed in order to investigate the effects of each variable on self-efficacy. It is found that all of the strategies significantly affected the dependent variable at .01 level. In a second regression model, which aimed to see the contribution of controlling variables (gender and GPA), the variables of ‘gender and GPA’ were entered in the model as one block and all other variables as another block. The results showed that all variables with gender and GPA significantly explain 53.1% of the variance in the dependent variable. The unique contributions of gender and GPA were 1%, which is not significant. In other words, controlling for ‘gender and GPA’ cognitive and metacognitive strategies explained %51.3 of the variance in self-efficacy. This means that the relationship among listening related cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies and self-efficacy is very important and has some implications. The results of the study are discussed in terms of cognitive & metacognitive strategies, self-efficacy and listening comprehension. Last, some pedagogical implications are provided in the light of the findings.