Exploring the Relationship Between Students’ English Learning Self-Efficacy and Anxiety

With the growing emphasis on psychological well-being in English learning, anxiety has emerged as one of the most frequently studied emotions due to its profound impact on language acquisition. Scholars have extensively examined its causes, with recent interest focusing on self-efficacy as a potential predictor of anxiety in foreign language learning psychology. Self-efficacy, which reflects students’ beliefs in their ability to succeed in English learning, has gained recognition for its potential to influence anxiety levels. However, the predictive role of self-efficacy remains underexplored, particularly among Chinese senior high school students. To address this gap, this study engaged 432 high school students from Northeast China. Descriptive statistics and independent T-tests were then employed to explore the participants' self-efficacy and anxiety levels. Guided by Control-Value Theory (CVT), the study further investigated the impact of self-efficacy on students' anxiety in English learning. The findings revealed that Chinese senior high school students generally exhibited high levels of self-efficacy and moderate levels of anxiety in their English learning. Notably, students from key schools demonstrated significantly higher self-efficacy compared to those in regular schools. Grade 2 students experienced higher levels of anxiety than their Grade 1 counterparts. Furthermore, the study confirmed the predictive role of self-efficacy in mitigating anxiety within English learning contexts. These results offer valuable insights for practical English teaching, emphasizing the importance of fostering students' self-efficacy to alleviate anxiety and contributing to the broader discussion on enhancing emotional well-being in English education.