Self-efficacy and Online Language Learning: Causes of Failure

Abstract

The study reported in this article examined why some highly efficacious learners failed in an online foreign language course based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. The study was conducted as part of a project investigating the self-efficacious foreign language learners in an online writing course. The motivation behind the study was that the success rate of online learning in Thailand is low. The learning performance of six highly efficacious distance language learners at a recognised English language tutorial school in Bangkok, Thailand was analysed. The data collection included an online questionnaire and individual telephone interviews. The findings suggested that goal setting, shift of attribution and insufficient feedback are factors that might decrease the efficacy of online learners’ and affect their decision to withdraw from a program. The implications of this study provide recommendations on support to help online language learners succeed.