Effect of Cognitive Styles on Self-Efficacy among University Students

Abstract

Cognitive and affective factors are vital for language teaching and learning. Several research studies have focused on and determined cognitive style and self-efficacy as significant predictors of students’ academic success. This study explored the impact of cognitive styles on self-efficacy among English as a foreign language university learners of Afghanistan. An assessment was made of 180 university students (105 males and 75 females) age range (19-27 years) studying in public universities of Afghanistan. Jha Parveen Kumar's (2001) 48 item Cognitive Styles Inventory and 10 items from Ralf Schwarzer and Matthias Jerusalem's (1995) generalized Self-Efficacy scales were applied for data collection. The collected data were then analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 24.0 Version. The results showed that most of the university students possessed systematic cognitive styles. The regression analysis indicated that cognitive styles have positively influenced the self-efficacy of the university students of Afghanistan. The Findings, educational implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research are discussed.