Introduction. English for Specific Purposes focuses on teaching and learning
subject specific knowledge which includes specific language skills that
particular learners need for a specific purpose. Self-efficacy is determined
by subjective beliefs about one?s own abilities, which also applies to the
academic setting of studying English for Specific Purposes. Academic
self-efficacy represents the conviction of students about their own
abilities to successfully fulfil academic tasks at designated levels. The
goal of this research is to examine the degree of academic self-efficacy of
medical students who learn English for Specific purposes at the Faculty of
Medicine of the University of Novi Sad, with respect to their gender, year
of study, grade achieved in the previous course in English, and the length
of learning English before enrolling in the Faculty. Material and Methods.
The study included 58 medical students. The researchers used the College
Academic Self-Efficacy Scale questionnaire developed by Owen and Froman
(1988) to assess academic self-efficacy. Results. Three significant factors
were identified: general self-competence, communication with the professor,
and attendance at lectures, with general self-competence being the most
significant factor. Considering the independent variables, only the grade
showed statistical significance. Establishing the grade as such a
significant predictor can be explained by the fact that good grades and a
high grade point average are presented as very desirable outcomes. However,
a good grade does not necessarily mean having better knowledge or correct
use of language. Conclusion. Further research into this topic is necessary,
with expanding the number of participants, study programs and variables.
Analysis of academic self-efficacy of medical students learning English for specific purposes