Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
This qualitative case study explored students’ perceptions of the role of self-confidence in EFL essay writing and identified the main internal and external factors associated with their confidence during writing tasks at a private school in Riobamba, Ecuador. Data were collected through a focus group with seven final-year high school students and semi-structured interviews with two English teachers. The analysis identified five recurring categories: self-confidence, motivation, assessment, feedback, and English language proficiency. Participants described self-confidence as closely related to their emotional state, willingness to write, assessment experiences, teacher and peer feedback, and perceived linguistic resources. Students generally valued teacher feedback more than peer feedback, particularly when they needed support with vocabulary, grammar, and organization of ideas. The findings suggest that self-confidence is not perceived as an isolated factor in writing performance, but as a dynamic element shaped by affective, linguistic, and classroom-related conditions. The study highlights the importance of supportive writing environments and guidance that helps students view mistakes as part of the learning process.
References
Afsar, M. A., & Jamal, Z. A. (2022). Undergraduates’ views on the most difficult aspects of academic writing in the English language. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 2(3), 208–213.
Akbari, O., & Sahibzada, J. (2020). Students’ self-confidence and its impacts on their learning process. American International Journal of Social Science Research, 5(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.46281/aijssr.v5i1.462
Aldabbus, S., & Almansouri, E. (2022). Academic writing difficulties encountered by university EFL learners. British Journal of English Linguistics, 10(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjel.2013/vol10n3111
Aldayel, H. S., Pravitasari, H., & Fadillah, N. (2026). Factors affecting academic writing difficulties among English as a foreign language (EFL) university students. Acta Psychologica, 263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106250
Alfehaid, A., & Alkhatib, N. (2024). (Non)-conformity to native English norms in postgraduate students’ writing in UK universities: Perspectives of native and non-native students and academic staff. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 24(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v24i1.562
Bakla, A., & Karaka?, A. (2022). Technology and strategy use in academic writing: Native, native-like versus non-native speakers of English. Ibérica, 44, 285–314. https://doi.org/10.17398/2340-2784.44.285
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Bekhet, A. K., & Zauszniewski, J. A. (2012). Methodological triangulation: An approach to understanding data. Nurse Researcher, 20(2), 40–43. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2012.11.20.2.40.c9442
Bisriyah, M. (2022). EFL university students’ difficulties in the essay writing process. SCOPE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 7(1), 66–71. https://doi.org/10.30998/scope.v7i1.13793
Brandmo, C., & Gamlem, S. M. (2025). Students’ perceptions and outcome of teacher feedback: A systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1572950
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. Pearson Education.
Chicho, K. Z. H. (2022). An analysis of factors influencing EFL learners’ writing skills. Canadian Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 2(2), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v2i2.38
Dhanya, M., & Alamelu, C. (2019). Factors influencing the acquisition of writing skills. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering, 8(72), 259–263.
Ismail, S. M., Rahul, D. R., Patra, I., & Rezvani, E. (2022). Formative vs. summative assessment: Impacts on academic motivation, attitude toward learning, test anxiety, and self-regulation skill. Language Testing in Asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00191-4
Jayesh, S., & Thomas, S. (2022). The differences in self-efficacy, self-confidence, and life satisfaction among young adults by gender and their relationships. The Investigator, 8(4), 81–88.
Kenta, A. E., & Bosha, T. B. (2019). An investigation into factors that affect students’ writing skills: The case of Sodo Secondary School. English Language, Literature & Culture, 4(2), 54–60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190402.14
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Prentice Hall.
Li, M., & Pei, L. (2024). Exploring challenges in academic language-related skills of EFL learners in Chinese EMI settings. Acta Psychologica, 247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104309
Li, R. (2022). Understanding foreign language writing anxiety and its correlates. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1031514
Listyani. (2022). The importance of self-esteem in the language learning journey: Procedural writing students’ stories in Indonesia. European Journal of English Language Studies, 2(2), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejels.2.2.47
Mardiansyah, R. (2018). A correlation between self-confidence and essay writing achievement. Edukasi: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran, 5(2), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v5i2.2326
Martínez, E. A., & Villa, O. E. S. (2016). A quantitative study of self-confidence in learning English as a foreign language. Academia Journal of Educational Research, 5(2), 24–28.
Nabu, A., & Pakaya, N. (2022). Identify students’ difficulties in essay writing courses. Journal of English Teaching and Linguistic Issues (JETLI), 1(2), 66–74. https://doi.org/10.58194/jetli.v1i2.21
Nazmillah, N., Hidayat, D. N., Defianty, M., Anita, A., & Muin, A. (2022). A study of teachers’ strategies in providing feedback in English writing class. Acitya: Journal of Teaching and Education, 4(2), 339–356. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i2.3258
Noori, A. (2020). An investigation of Afghan undergraduate English major students’ academic writing difficulties. Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, 5(2), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.5249
Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English language teaching. McGraw-Hill.
Pasand, P. G., & Haghi, E. B. (2013). Process-product approach to writing: The effect of model essays on EFL learners’ writing accuracy. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 2(1), 75–79. https://doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.2n.1p.75
Perumal, M., & Ajit, D. I. (2020). Enhancing writing skills: A review. Psychology and Education Journal, 57(9), 2229–2236.
Pham, A. T., Hong, H. T., Chau, T. T., Le, N. V. A., Tran, P. T. T., & Nguyen, M. N. N. (2021). The relationships between students’ self-confidence and their English-speaking performance: A case study of English-majored students at a private university in Vietnam. European Journal of Education Studies, 8(9), 18–35. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i9.3872
Putri, N. P. D. A., Wardana, I. K., & Joni, D. A. A. W. (2024). The significance of teacher correction on student confidence and writing achievement. Jurnal Santiaji Pendidikan, 14(1), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.36733/jsp.v14i1.8084
Rojas Preciado, Z. F. M. (2022). The impact of self-assessment to enhance writing skills [Master’s thesis, Universidad Casa Grande].
Schunk, D. H., & Gunn, T. P. (1986). Self-efficacy and skill development: Influence of task strategies and attributions. The Journal of Educational Research, 79(4), 238–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1986.10885684
Tardy, C. M. (2020). The discursive construction of “translingualism vs. second language writing”: What we’ve created and how we might move on. In T. Silva & Z. Wang, (eds.). Reconciling translingualism and second language writing (pp. 13–24). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003003786-3
Vacalares, S. T., Clarin, E., Lapid, R., Malaki, M., Plaza, V., & Barcena, M. (2023). Factors affecting the writing skills of education students. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 18(2), 1192–1201. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.2.0931
Vijayan, B. N., Hanafi, N. H., & Amaruddin, H. S. (2025). The influence of metacognitive writing strategies on foundation students’ writing performance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(9), 467–476. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v15-i9/26501
Wardana, I. K., Joni, D. A. A. W., & Arsana, A. A. P. (2025). Factors affecting teacher feedback on writing achievement, self-efficacy, and self-regulation among junior high school EFL students. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(3), 596–611. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v14i3.73964
Wijaya, K. F., & Mbato, C. L. (2020). English language education students’ perceptions of self-efficacy in public speaking class. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 5(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v5i1.379
Winstone, N., & Carless, D. (2020). Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351115940
Zhang, Z. (2022). Promoting student engagement with feedback: Insights from collaborative pedagogy and teacher feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(4), 540–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1933900
Zikrullah. (2017). The correlation between self-confidence and paragraph writing achievement of English Education Study Program students [Undergraduate thesis, Sriwijaya University].
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Francisco Rojas Inca , Paula Agustina Vélez Yanza