Self‐Efficacy and Collective‐Efficacy as Predictors of Engagement in Group Conversation

Abstract There is increasing interest in self‐efficacy (SE) as a variable to predict learner behavior during tasks, but many tasks involve learners working collaboratively in groups. Collective efficacy (CE) can be used to assess the feelings of the group about their overall ability to complete a task. It has been largely ignored in the field of second language acquisition, despite its potential to help us understand learner performance in groups. In this study, conducted in a tertiary educational context in Japan ( N = 205), Rasch analysis was used to investigate whether CE can be considered a distinct construct from SE among these participants. Data were then gathered at eight points over an entire academic year with learners working in fixed groups for each semester. SE and CE were measured on multiple occasions and used to predict behavioral and cognitive engagement in four separate 10‐min discussion tasks. Results showed that CE was distinct from SE. Regression models showed that SE, rather than CE, predicted behavioral engagement in tasks. The relationship between cognitive engagement and the predictors depended on the specific task. The findings highlight the importance of SE and the group in influencing learners' task performance but also students' perceptions of the requirements of the task.