Self-efficacy and language learning – what it is and what it isn't

This article considers the presentation of self-efficacy in the OFSTED 2021 Curriculum Research Review for languages (OCRR). It begins by elucidating how self-efficacy is defined in the work of Albert Bandura and within social cognitive theory more broadly; its position in relation to theories of motivation and models of self-regulation; and what, according to social cognitive theory, are the factors that influence self-efficacy. It then examines critically how self-efficacy features within the OCRR, focusing on the mismatch between the conclusions the OCRR draws from cited publications and what the latter actually say. The article next presents its own summary of findings of intervention studies targeting language learning self-efficacy development within school contexts. It ends by highlighting the misalignment that exists between that research-based view of self-efficacy development and the type of curriculum proposed by the OCRR.