Examining the impact of the number of sources on students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs

Source-based writing is a commonly required task in many academic settings. However, understanding the effect of important task-related characteristics on the students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs remains underexplored. This study used a between-subject design to examine the impact of the number of sources on students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 57 students were tested and assigned randomly into two conditions. One group wrote an opinion essay based on information contained in a single source and the other group was requested to complete the same task while being exposed to the same information contained in four sources. Participants in both groups were surveyed on their self-efficacy beliefs before the start and after completion of the task to further determine the effect of each task on their writing confidence. Results showed that the number of texts used as the basis of writing does not in itself necessarily enhance student writing and source use skills, but may help generate more ideas and build up confidence in writing from multiple sources.