Vietnamese English majors’ self-efficacy through agentic behaviors in group presentation tasks

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study examines how Vietnamese English majors manifest self-efficacy through agentic behaviors in collaborative group presentation tasks. The study used a qualitative exploratory design because the focus was on exploring how students manifested self-efficacy through their actions in authentic group presentation contexts rather than measuring their levels of self-efficacy. Data were collected from 16 undergraduate English majors working in four intact groups at two Vietnamese universities. Classroom-based observations were conducted across pre-presentation, during-presentation, and post-presentation stages, together with semi-structured interviews before and after the presentations. Thematic analysis showed that students manifested self-efficacy through four dimensions of human agency: intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness. These dimensions were reflected in how students claimed roles, clarified task procedures, anticipated challenges, regulated performance, supported peers, and evaluated their own and group work. The findings further show that agentic behaviors shaped students’ perceived contribution and perceived group effectiveness by sustaining coordination, distributing responsibility, and supporting group resilience. The study contributes to EFL self-efficacy research by showing how efficacy beliefs become visible through socially situated action in collaborative learning.