Impact of Academic Self–Concept on Syntactic Complexity of Speaking Skill among Iranian EFL Learners
Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation
1 - گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد نجف آباد، نجف آباد، ایران
Keywords: Academic Self-concept, EFL learners, speaking, Syntactic Complexity,
Abstract :
The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of academic self–concept on the syntactic complexity of speaking skill among Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners. The sample consisted of 45 male and female students of the upper-intermediate level who were learning English language in a private institute in Isfahan. In order to collect information about students’ academic self-concept, Liu and Wang’s (2005) academic self-concept scale was used. It consists of 20 items and responses are made on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. For speaking data collection, participants were asked to sit for speaking test (narrative story) and their speaking performances were recorded by a digital voice recorder for later transcription and analysis. Independent samples t test was conducted to find out if there were statistically significant differences between the high self-concept group and low self-concept group’s syntactic complexity in speaking. Results indicated that the former group significantly outperformed the latter on three measures of syntactic complexity including length of production units, measures of subordination, and degree of phrasal sophistication. On the measures of coordination, however, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between learners with high academic self-concept and learners with low academic self-concept.
References
Archibald, A. (2004). Speaking in a second language. Retrieved from
http://www.lang.itsn.ac.uk/index.aspx
Apter, T. (1998). The confident child. New York: Bantam Books.
Bacha, N. N. (2002). Developing learners’ academic writing skills in
higher education: A study for educational reform. Language and
Education, 16(3), 163-173.
Beach, R. (1989). Showing students how to assess: Demonstrating
techniques for response in the writing conference. In C. M. Anson
(Ed.), Writing and response (pp. 127- 148). Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Beers, S. F., & Nagy, W. E (2011). Writing development in four genres
from grades three to seven: syntactic complexity and genre
differentiation.
Biber, D. (1988). Variation across Speech and Writing. Cambridge,
England: Cambridge University Press.
Bong, M. & Clark, R. E. (1999). Comparison between self–concept, and
self–efficacy in academic motivation research. Educational
Psychologist, (Vol.34, pp.139-153).
Bong, M., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2003). Academic self-concept and selfefficacy: how different are they really? Educational Psychology
Review, 15(1), 1-40.
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
141
Bracken, B. A. (2009). Positive self-concepts. In R. Gilman, E. S.
Huebner, & M. J. Furlong (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in
the schools (pp. 89–106). New York, NY: Routledge.
Branden, N. (1994). The six pillars of self-esteem. New York: Bantam
Books.
Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (4th
Ed.). San Francisco: Addison Wesley Longman. Inc.
Burns, R. (1982). Self-concept development and education. London:
Holt, Rhinehart & Winston.
Celce-Murcia, M. (1991). Language teaching methodology. London:
Prentice-Hall
Celce-Murcia, M., 2001. Teaching English as a second or foreign
language (3rd ed.). Boston: HeinleandHeinle.
Cheng, Y.S., Horwitz, E., Schallert, D.L. (1999). Language anxiety:
differentiating speaking and speaking components. Language
Learning 49(3), 417-446.
Choi, N. (2005). Self–efficacy and self–concept as predictors of college
student's academic performance. Psychology in the Schools (Vol.42,
pp.197-205)
Csizer, K., Lukacs, G. (2010). The comparative analysis of motivation,
attitudes, and selves: the case of English and German in Hungary.
System 38(1), 1-1
Csizer, K., Magid, M. (Eds.). (2014). The impact of self-concept on
language learning. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Dastjerdi, H. V., & Samian, S.H. (2011). Quality of Iranian EFL learners’
argumentative essays: cohesive device in focus. Mediterranean
Journal of Social Sciences, 2(2), 65-76.
Davidson, F. (1991). Statistical support for training in ESL composition
rating. In L. Hamp-Lyons (Ed.), Assessing second language speaking
(pp. 155-165). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
De Fraine, B., Van Damme, J., & Onghena, P. (2007). A longitudinal
analysis of gender differences in academic self-concept and language
achievement: A multivariate multilevel latent growth approach.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32, 132-150.
De Haan, P., & van Esch, K. (2006). Assessing the development of foreign
language writing skills: syntactic and lexical features. Language and
Computers, 60(1), 185-202.
Dornyei, Z. (2005). The Psychology of the Language Learner. Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ.
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
142
Dornyei, Z., Ushioda, E. (Eds.). (2009). Motivation, language identity,
and the L2 self. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Ellis R, Barkhuizen G. 2005. Analyzing learner language. Oxford: Oxford
University Pres
Erkan, D. Y., & Saban, A. I. (2011). Speaking performance relative to
speaking apprehension, self-efficacy in speaking, and attitudes towards
speaking: A correlational study in Turkish tertiary-level EFL. Asian
EFL Journal, 5(4), 164-192
Faigley, L. (1990). Competing theories of process: A critique and a
proposal. In R. L. Graves (Ed.), Rhetoric and composition. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.
Faigley, L., Cherry, R. D., Jolliffe, D. A., & Skinner, A. M. (1985).
Assessing writers’ knowledge and processes of composing. Norwood,
NJ: Ablex.
Foster, P., & Skehan, P. (1996). The influence of planning and task type
on second language performance. Studies in Second Language
Acquisition,18(1), 299-324.
Graham, S., 2007. Learner strategies and self-efficacy: making the
connection. Language Learning Journal, 35(1), 81-93.
Grodnick, J. R. (1996). Self-esteem and speaking achievement
(Unpublished Master's Thesis). New Jersey, USA.
Guay, F., Ratelle, C. F., Roy, A., & Litalien, D. (2010). Academic selfconcept, autonomous academic motivation, and academic
achievement: mediating and additive effects. Learning and Individual
Differences, 20, 644-653.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1998). Things and relations: Regrammaticising
experience as technical knowledge. In J. R. Martin, & R. Veel (Eds.),
Reading Science: Critical and Functional Perspectives on Discourses
of Science (pp. 185-235). New York: Routledge.
Harter, S. (1998). The development of self-representations. In Damon,
W., & Eisenberg, N. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, 3(5), 553-
617. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Hayes, J. (2006). New directions in speaking theory. In C. A. MacArthur,
S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of speaking research (pp.
28-40). New York: Guilford Press.
Hsieh, P.P., Schallert, D. L., 2008. Implications from self-efficacy and
attribution theories for an understanding of undergraduates’ motivation
in a foreign language course. Contemporary Educational Psychology
33(4), 513-532.
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
143
Homstad, T., & Thorson, H. (2000). Quantity versus quality? Using
extensive and intensive speaking in the FL classroom. In G. Bräuer
(Ed.), Speaking across languages (pp. 141-152). Stamford, CT: Ablex.
Henry, A., 2009. Gender differences in compulsory school pupils’ L2 selfconcepts: a longitudinal study. System, 37(2), 177-193.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language
classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
Huitt, W. (2004). Self–concept and self–esteem. Educational Psychology
Interactive. Retrieved from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/
regsys/self.html.
Hull, G., & Rose, M. (1989). Rethinking remediation: Toward a socialcognitive understanding of problematic reading and speaking. Written
Communication, 6, 139-154.
Jafari, N., & Ansari, D. N. (2012). The effect of collaboration on Iranian
EFL learners’ speaking accuracy. International Education Studies,
5(2), 125-131
Jun, Z. (2008). A comprehensive review of studies on second language
speaking. Papers in Applied Language Studies, 12, 89-123
Khansir, A. A., & Abdolahi, Z. (2014). Self-Esteem and Speaking
Achievements of Iranian EFL Learners. International Journal of
English Language and Literature Studies, 3(2), 155-164.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2006). The emergence of complexity, fluency, and
accuracy in the oral and written production of five Chinese learners of
English. Applied Linguistics, 27(4), 590-619.
Leary, M. R., & Tangney, J. P. (2003). The self as an organizing construct
in the behavioral and social sciences. In M. R. Leary, & J. P. Tangney
(Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 3-14). New York: The
Guilford Press.
Liu, Hui-Ju (2009). Exploring changes in academic self-concept in abilitygrouped English classes. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences,
2(2) 411-432.
Liu, W. C. & Wang, C. K. J., (2005). Academic self–concept: A crosssectional study of grade and gender differences in a Singapore
secondary school. Asia Pacific Education Review, 6(l), pp.20-27.
Liu, W. C., Wang, C. K. J., & Parkins, E. J. (2005). A longitudinal study
of students’ academic self–concept in a streamed setting: The
Singapore context. British Journal of Educational Psychology. (pp.
567-586).
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
144
Marsh, H. W., Relich, J. D., & Smith, I. D. (1983). Self-concept: The
construct validation of interpretations based upon the SDQ. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 4(3), 173-187.
Marsh, H, W., Smith, I.D., & Barnes, J. (1983). Multitrait-multimethod
analyses of the Self-Description Questionnaire: Student-teacher
agreement on multidimensional ratings of student self-concept.
American Educational Research Journal, 20,333-357.
Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, V., Ludtke, O., Koller, O., & Baumert, J.
(2005). Academic self-concept, interest, grades, and standardized test
scores: Reciprocal effects models of causal ordering. Child
Development, 76(2), 397-416.
Marsh, H. W. (2007a). Physical self-concept and sport. In S. Jowette, &
D. Lavallee (Eds.), Social psychology in sport (pp. 159–179).
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Marsh, H. W. (2007b). Self-concept theory, measurement, and research
into practice: The role of self-concept in educational psychology.
Leicester, United Kingdom: British Psychological Society.
Mercer, S. (2011). Towards an Understanding of Language Learner SelfConcept. Dordrecht: Springer.
Mercer, S., & Williams, M. (Eds.). (2014). Multiple perspectives on the
self in SLA. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Michel, M., Kuiken, F., & Vedder, I. (2007). The influence of complexity
on monologic versus dialogic tasks in Dutch L2. International review
of applied linguistics in language teaching, 45(3), 241-259
Morita, N. (2004). Negotiating participation and identity in second
language academic communities. TESOL Quarterly, 38(4), 573-603.
Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2009). Towards an organic approach to
investigating CAF in instructed SLA: The case of complexity. Applied
Linguistics, 30(4), 555-578.
Norton, B. (2000). Identity and Language Learning: Gender, Ethnicity and
Educational Change. London: Longman.
Pajares, F. (2006). Self-efficacy and adolescence: Implications for
teachers and parents. In F. Pajares & T. Urdan (Eds.), Adolescence and
education, Vol. 5: Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents. Greenwich, CT:
Information Age Publishing.
Pajares, F. (2003). Self-efficacy beliefs, motivation, and achievement in
writing: A review of the literature. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 19,
139-158.
Pellegrino, V.A. (2005). Study Abroad and Second Language Use:
Constructing the Self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
145
Rubio, F. (2007). Self-esteem and foreign language learning: an
introduction. In: Rubio, F. (Ed.), Self-Esteem and Foreign Language
Learning. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Pajares, F., & Schunk, D.H. (2005). Self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs.
In H. W. Marsh, R. G. Craven, & D. M. McInerney (Eds.),
International advances in self-research: Vol. 2. (pp. 95–121).
Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.
Pellegrino, V. A. (2005). Study Abroad and Second Language Use:
Constructing the Self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Perl, S. (1979). The composing processes of unskilled college writers.
Research in the Teaching of English, 13, 317-336.
Polit, D., & Beck, C. T. (2004). Nursing Research: Principles and
Methods. (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PN: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Rorschach, E. (1986). The effects of reader awareness: A case study of
three ESL student writers. Dissertation Abstracts International,
47(12), 4311
Rimmer, W. (2008). Putting grammatical complexity in context. Literacy,
42(1), 29-35.
Rubio, F. (2007). Self-esteem and foreign language learning: an
introduction. In: Rubio, F. (Ed.), Self-Esteem and Foreign Language
Learning. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing,
Sandler, K. W. (1987). Letting them write when they can't even talk?
Speaking as discovery in the foreign language classroom. In T.
Fulwiler (Ed.), The journal book (pp. 312-320). Portsmouth, NH:
Boyntod Cook.
Schleppegrell, M. J. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional
linguistics perspective. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J., & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Self-concept:
Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational
Research, 46, 407-441.
Trembley, D. (1993). Guidelines for teaching speaking to ABE and ASE
learners. (ERIC Reproduction Service No. ED 361741)
Tuan, L. T. (2010). Enhancing EFL learners' speaking skills via journal
speaking. English Language Teaching, 3(3), 81-88
Strein, W. (1995). Assessment of self-concept, Retrieved from
http://www.ericdigests.org/eric-digests.html
Yuan, F., & Ellis, R. (2003). The effects of pre-task planning and online
planning on fluency, complexity, and accuracy in L2 monologic oral
production. Applied Linguistics, 24, 1 27.
Nikoobin, A. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(1) (2021), 118–146
146
Vaughan, C. (1991). Holistic assessment: What goes on in the rater’s
mind. In L. Hamp-Lyons (Ed.), Assessing second language speaking
academic contexts (pp. 111-125). Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing
Corporation.
Williams, M., R.L. Burden, G. Poulet, and I. Maun. 2004. Learners’
perceptions of their successes and failures in foreign language learning.
Language Learning Journal 30(1): 19–29.
Zaree, A., & Farvardin, M. T. (2009). Comparison of university-level EFL
learners' linguistic and rhetorical patterns as reflected in their L1 and
L2 speaking. Navista-Royal, 3(2), 143-155.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 82-91.