Do learners’ beliefs matter? Self-efficacy and second language achievement among Iranian second language learners

Through interviews with eight Iranian participants, this Major Research Paper explores second language adult learners’ beliefs about their abilities in performing English language tasks. Primary research questions include: (i) Do learners’ self-efficacy or beliefs about their competency in acquiring a second language affect their language learning performance? (ii) Does gender impact the level of self-efficacy a second language learner might hold? With respect to the first research question the findings demonstrate that unlike the female participants, the male participants’ self-efficacy positively correlates with their second language acquisition. In terms of the second research question, the results of the study show that gender isn’t deemed influential in the formation of self-efficacy among second language learners.