English Pronunciation Self-Efficacy Sources and Pronunciation Proficiency of Chinese College Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the four sources of English pronunciation self-efficacy and English pronunciation proficiency of Chinese college learners of English. A sample of 429 English majors at a college in China was selected. The test scores from a read-aloud task were used as the measure of subjects’ English pronunciation proficiency. The questionnaire was used to collect the data of four English pronunciation self-efficacy sources. The Pearson correlations showed that the four sources were correlated significantly with English pronunciation proficiency. The multiple regression analysis showed that 45% variance in English pronunciation proficiency was explained by the linear combinations of the four sources; however, the nominal variable of gender was not statistically significant in explaining the variance in English pronunciation proficiency. Overall, the significant relationship between English pronunciation self-efficacy sources and English pronunciation proficiency was observed in the present study. Pedagogical implications for teaching English pronunciation were discussed based on the results.