Research Question Three

(Is there any change in the pattern of males/female students' vocabulary self-efficacy beliefs over time? If yes, what are the potential factors that occasion learners' changed patterns?)

The third question aims to discuss whether any statistical significance on the males/female learners' vocabulary self-efficacy belief change over the six time points exists and whichever potential factors might occasion learners' changed patterns. The section is divided into two parts as follows:

Male’s self-efficacy change over 6 time points

Males have the strongest self-efficacy beliefs at time 6 than at any other time points

(A) Quantitative analysis

The post hoc within-time comparison (Table 8; Fig. 7) showed that the boys vocabulary self-efficacy belief was the strongest at time 6 (M= 18.19), which coincided with the final examination in the second semester. Moreover, their vocabulary self-efficacy at Time 3 (M = 18.14), Time 4 (M = 17.78) and Time 5 (M = 17.67) were significantly stronger than that at Time 1 (M = 16.78) and Time 2 (M = 16.58).

(B) Qualitative analysis

Only at time 6, boys experienced a peak in their vocabulary self-efficacy beliefs, compared with previous time points. Based on the interview result from three male interviewees, the following potential personal factors such as cognitive factors, motivational and affective factors might bring upon this changed pattern.

(1) Personal factor

Cognitively, it is hypothesized that male learners possibly put much more efforts into the preparation of final examination at time 6, believing it to be their very last chance to compensate for previous poor performance. As suggested by Zhong (2010), learner’s belief in the efforts is pivotal to the success of language learning, since external factors do not exert significant influence on learner’s language learning situation. The persistence and efforts put at time 6 increased the male learners' self-efficacy belief. For male

learners, in order to gain school teachers' approval, which would allow a smoother transition into the 11th grade for a better future, they set plans ahead and prepare well, thus gaining more confidence. According to the result of the data analysis of follow-up interviews, students' "self-regulation and goal setting" were the core facilitators to help them to regain the sense of efficacy after experiencing quite few failures in their vocabulary learning.

Motivationally, in line with the studies of Bandura (1998) and Pajares & Verda (2002), the present study holds that when students accumulate enough prior (mastery) learning experience, they simultaneously increase their vocabulary self-efficacy beliefs, which self-regulate them to succeed. Based on the result of the follow-up interviews at the end of the second semester, all three male interviewees emphasized that after so many trail-an-error experiences in vocabulary learning and teachers' instructions from time 1 to time 6, they were ready to turning themselves into new leaf for a better, thus raising their competence belief in the end.

Affectively, boys, unlike girls, have more freedom of movement in peer groups than do girls, put more focus in their peer relationship and act public, according to Howard (2004). By seeking the peer relationships and acting out publicly like joining the cram school or study club, boys can acquire more confidence level of strength to survive the competitive environment. Boys’ inborn nature for the preference to explore and adventure might help them show their independence and their competence to rival others and survive the arduous. For high schoolers, passing the final examination involves physical endurance and a great deal of mental focus. From the follow-up focused group interview in the present study, one of the male interviewees (Alex, 16) asserted that "Longing to get

a strong sense of belonging motivated me to enroll in my best friend's cram school because only being there could I have a sense of comradeship and fight with such arduous vocabulary learning! I just can't possibly get this kind of feeling in my school and in my family!” The importance of the sense of belonging for students was as well explicated by Hsu (2010), who asserted that "being accepted, valued and encouraged by peers did contribute a lot to students' favorable feelings toward vocabulary learning". It appears that peer influence and the vicarious learning from the peer models are the salient sources for males to sustain and persist in their language learning. These factors seem to increase their self-efficacy belief from time 1 to reach the maximum at time 6. Naturally, males’

possible seeking more peer relationship from time 2 to time 3 might contribute to the reaching of the miner peak in self-efficacy level, while girls did not reach that peak of self-confidence as boys. It is well worth of our attention to explore more to find out any factors at play to reach males’ stronger confidence level from time 2 and time 3 though the qualitative and quantitative data showed nearly no clue upon this changed pattern.

Females' self-efficacy change over 6 time points

Females gain stronger self-efficacy beliefs at time 6 than at time1, 2, 4, and 5

(A) Quantitative analysis

Table 4 and Figure 1 showed female students’ self-confidence was the strongest at time 6 (M = 17.15). Differing from males, females not only achieved a maximum confidence at the final examination in the second semester time 6 (M= 17.15). The students’ self-confidence at time 3 (M= 17.06) was stronger than that at time 1 (M = 16.69), time 2 (M = 16.44), time 4 (M = 16.46) and time 5 (M = 16.74).

(B) Qualitative analysis

Despite of the difficulty in reaching any conclusion due to lacking some specific statistical data analysis influencing this changed patterns, the possibility of females' parallel concerns for their each final examination in different semesters might be inferred.

Based on the interview result from three female interviewees, the following potential personal factors such as cognitive factors, motivational and social factors such as teachers' and parents' affective support and expectation might bring upon this changed pattern.

(1) Personal factors

Cognitively, girls seemingly tend to believe both final examinations are equally important at time 3 and time 6 and they are willing to set plans ahead and prepare well, thus gaining more confidence at these two time points. But as to the fact why boys only emphasized their time 6 vocabulary learning resulting in a higher confidence, it remains a further investigation in the future. For females, according to the follow-up qualitative data analysis, female interviewees considered accumulated mastery and vicarious learning experience as the major sources to gain the self-efficacy belief at time 3 and time 6, thus showing no significant self-efficacy difference at these two time points but revealed quiet a difference at time 2, 4 and 5.

Motivationally, in line with the studies from Bandura (1998) and Pajares & Verda (2002), the present study holds that when students accumulate enough prior (mastery) learning experience, they increase their vocabulary self-efficacy beliefs which self-regulate them to succeed. As revealed by the follow-up interview result, female

interviewees emphasized that after so many trail-and-error experiences in vocabulary learning and teachers' instructions from time 1 to time 6, they were ready to change themselves for the better, thus raising their competence belief at time 3 and time 6.

(2) Social factors

Females had had an initial drop in their English vocabulary competence belief at time 2, as the result of the vocabulary learning difficulty anxiety. But interestingly, at time 5, their confidence soared (Table 4), uniquely differing from the male learners', who showed a steep decline in their self-efficacy level at time 5. The results of the qualitative analysis implied that the affective support and expectations of the parents and teachers might be the factors underlying this gender-specific pattern. Howard (2010) opined that "girls are more likely to hang out in their house” and they “have a stronger preference for dyadic friendship." Zeijl et al. (2000) also suggested that teenage girls encountered the most parental attention concerning peer contacts. It was probably safe to infer that female learners are more protected by the parents and more influenced by the teachers' expectations after several frustrations regarding vocabulary learning.

Females gain higher self-efficacy beliefs at time 3 than time 2 and 4

(A) Quantity analysis

Table 4 and Figure 1 showed that female self-confidence at Time 3 (M = 17.06) was higher than that at Time 2 (M = 16.44) and Time 4 (M = 16.44). These results show a stark contrast between time 3 (a booming self-confidence period), and time 2 and 4 (a declining self-confidence period).

(B) Qualitative analysis

It is not easy to specify any statistical data analysis influencing this changed pattern.

However, if any conclusions may be drawn from the result, it might be reasonable to reference that students' anxiety for memorizing large vocabulary during transition at time 2 and the text reading difficult anxiety after winter vacation at time 4, as bringing about lower self-efficacy beliefs in times 2 and 4 as compared with time 3.

Despite of the difficulty in reaching any conclusion due to the lacking of some specific statistical data analysis influencing this changed pattern, the possibility of females' parallel concerns for their each final examination in different semesters might be inferred. Based on the interview result from three female interviewees, the following potential personal factors such as cognitive factors, motivational and affective factors as well as the social factors such as parents' and teachers' affective support and expectation might bring upon this changed pattern.

Cognitively and motivationally, based on the qualitative result, the self-regulation and goal setting, teachers' instruction and peer influence as well as accumulated mastery and vicarious learning experiences all contributed to the rising scale of self-efficacy beliefs in females at time 3.

Affectively, females had an initial drop in their English vocabulary competence belief at time 2 as a result of the vocabulary learning difficulty anxiety. But interestingly, when female learners moved up to the time point 4 (after the winter break and Chinese new year celebration), they seemed to have a second new drop in their confidence in learning English, possibly because of a fatigue in learning vocabulary. One of the female

interviewees added at the second interview, claiming that “To me, there lied no difference anymore in giving more effort in learning English, because the grades I got stayed almost the same. I couldn't possibly get more than 90 points no matter how hard I tried." It was indeed quite an interesting expression and the researcher tended to attribute this consequence to the anxiety from the accumulated vocabulary learning difficulty and anxiety from the text reading difficulty at time 4 (analyzed in the qualitative result at chapter 4, p.76).

To summarize, male and females seemed to show regularly changed patterns over six different time points due to several important factors at play. The following factors were compared and contrasted between genders:

(I) Both males and females showed similar changed patterns

Four main themes accounted for the similar changed patterns between genders:

(A) Learners' prior mastery learning experience (inclusive of previous academic achievement and past learning experience) at Time 1

Male and female students bore a slight confidence in their English vocabulary learning at time 1, because of prior academic achievement, such as former good test scores, English experience, maximum self-study, cram school training (Zhou, 2007).

(B) Learners' accumulated mastery and vicarious learning experiences at time 6

Males/Females showed higher self-efficacy at Time 6 than at Time 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Learners' prior mastery experience in learning vocabulary and vicarious learning from teacher and peer models fostered students' maximum confidence in vocabulary learning.

(C) Vocabulary learning anxiety at Time 2 and text reading anxiety at Time 4

Males/Females' vocabulary self-efficacy beliefs weakened first at time 2 and time 4, because of poor test performance at the first mid-term resulting from a unbearable burden caused by the sudden increase in vocabulary from 1200 words to approximately 6000-7000 words. Unsatisfying test performance and anxiety from poor vocabulary competence and knowledge lowered their confidence (Chen, 2009; Kung, 2009). Text reading anxiety at Time 4 also made learners' self-efficacy belief plunge to a second new low.

(D) Self-regulation and goal setting at time 3 and time 6

Males and females achieve similar self-confidence levels around time 3 and time 6.

Due to poor performance and vocabulary/ text anxiety in time 2 and time 4, students began to re-set their goals and plans, self-regulating them into a new academic success for a better transition into 11th grade.

(E) Peer influence and teachers' instruction and feedback from Time 2 to Time 6

Males and females valued peer influence and teachers' instruction and feedback as their reference to reflect and self-regulate to learn and achieve.

(II) Difference

(

The major difference between male/female self-efficacy beliefs lies at time 4 and 5 based on the interview results. Males' confidence continually declines at time 4 and 5, while females' confidence first plunges at time 4 but rebounds and soars at time 5. Despite the difficulty to specify any social, personal or motivational factors leading to these changed patterns, several possible factors can be inferred from the findings of Bandura (1998) and Pajares & Verda (2002). After so many trials and errors in learning vocabulary, males and females tend to develop different strategies toward learning goals. For example, as their learning strategies, boys may set new and different learning aspirations, while girls may persist in their present learning objective by seeking the support of family and teacher.