English speaking self-efficacy and its relations with personality traits
English speaking self-efficacy and its relations with personality traits

Summary/Abstract: The lack of communicative competence of Turkish university students can be explained with shyness and insufficient self-efficacy. Therefore, it can be asserted that personality and self-efficacy are interrelated. If teachers are aware of students’ personality types and can find out whether the reasons for their speaking self-efficacy are related to their personality traits, they may teach their classes better and decide on the most effective teaching techniques and methods. Speaking self-efficacy can be suggested as a common problem in foreign language learning. Since studies related to the big five factors have shown that these factors can be changed through education or intervention and positively contribute to personality traits, it is necessary to determine which and how many of the big five personality factors match foreign language speaking self-efficacy. The aims of the current study were: (1) to determine the personality traits of 4th-year students at English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Language and Literature (ELL) departments at Turkish universities, (2) to examine whether there are significant differences between personality traits of ELT-ELL departments’ students, (3) to examine the relations between personality traits and English speaking self-efficacy of the participants. According to the results, there is a significant difference between personality traits’ scores of both groups. All personality traits exist in ELT and ELL groups. The sequence of PTs is the same for both groups with lower ratios in ELL except neuroticism which is higher in ELL. The personality traits from the highest are agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism respectively. There are significant relations between personality traits and foreign language speaking self-efficacy of the participants. While there are negative and significant relations between agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and foreign language speaking self-efficacy, there is only one positive and significant relation between it and neuroticism.

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