STUDENTS' SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS FOR WRITING

The importance of confidence beliefs in academic achievement has long since been acknowledged ([1], [2) and researchers have stressed the predictive nature of self-efficacy beliefs for writing achievement ([3], [4]). Regarding these writing achievements, educators in tertiary education have certain expectations of students' writing standard based on students' recent graduation from secondary school, expecting their mastery of the writing skills taught and practised there ([7]). But what are the students' own self-efficacy beliefs regarding these governmental standards? In addition, at tertiary level, writing-skills training is dispersed and diverse within the chosen disciplines. Does the tertiary educational system allow for further growth of students' confidence in writing? A total of 376 secondary school (n= 235) and university (n= 141) students completed a self-efficacy questionnaire based on a selection of the governmental state standards in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. The self-efficacy questionnaire dealt with (1) documented text, (2) argumentative text, (3) planning, (4) revising, (5) use of sources and (6) reflection on writing strategies. We used an independent samples t-test to compare self-efficacy scores on these 6 items between university and high-school students, and between male and female students. The results show a significant difference between self-efficacy scores of university (M= 63.62, SD= 15.27) and secondary-school students (M= 68.08, SD= 15.50) in terms of their self-efficacy beliefs in writing an argumentative text (t(374)=-2.72, p=. 007). As for the difference between men (n= 132, M= 71.52, SD= 15.85) and women (n= 244, M= 67.75, SD= 15.85), their self-efficacy beliefs differ in terms of self-efficacy in text revision (t(374)= 2.02, p=. 028). There was no significant discrepancy in the other statements. The fact that university students display self-efficacy beliefs for writing argumentative texts that are lower than secondary-school students requires further research. We would expect students in higher education to further develop their writing of argumentative texts and, consequently, increase their self-efficacy beliefs.