Mapping Critical Reading Self-Efficacy in Tertiary EFL Learners through Cognitive and Geographical Lenses

Abstract

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, critical reading self-efficacy is essential for tertiary EFL learners’ academic success. Learners’ geographical context, including their residential and institutional locations, is significantly associated with their reading self-efficacy. Grounded in Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and the revised Benjamin Bloom taxonomy, this study aims to investigate the relationship between tertiary EFL learners’ lower- and higher-order reading self-efficacy and the influence of geographical context on their critical reading self-efficacy. Using a Likert-scale questionnaire, data were collected from 157 undergraduate EFL learners at different urban and rural tertiary institutions in Bangladesh and analyzed employing Pearson’s correlation coefficient, MANOVA, and independent sample T-test. The Pearson correlation coefficient analysis revealed a significant association between lower-order and higher-order reading self-efficacy. MANOVA results further showed that learners’ geographical context significantly influenced their critical reading self-efficacy, while the independent-samples t-test indicated that rural learners reported lower critical reading self-efficacy than their urban counterparts. The study offers context-specific implications for tertiary EFL teaching instructions and curriculum design. Specifically, it highlights the value of integrating both lower and higher-order reading skills in teaching practices. Additionally, it proposes initiatives to address contextual factors to reduce urban-rural disparities in critical reading self-efficacy of tertiary EFL learners regardless of their residential and institutional locations.

IUBAT Review—A Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 9(1): 158-176