Online Language Learning Self-Efficacy and Anxiety: Do Types of Instruction Make a Difference?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

2 Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

3 Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

Advances in technology have necessitated a shift from conventional instruction to online instruction. Different online platforms have been developed and several teaching methods have been adapted for online instruction. However, this created both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it may have facilitated the teaching and learning process in several ways. On the other hand, it may also have negatively affected the learners’ psychological traits like anxiety and self-efficacy. This study aimed at comparing the potential effects of three online methods of language teaching including ‘Technology-Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching (TMTBLT)’, ‘Problem-Based Instruction Online (PBIO)’, and ‘Online Flipped Learning (OFL)’ on EFL learners' online language learning self-efficacy and online foreign language anxiety (FLA). To this end, 120 male and female intermediate English students were selected and randomly assigned to three experimental groups and one control group, each with 30 students. Each of the experimental groups was instructed for 15 sessions with one of the mentioned online methods, while the control received conventional instruction. The telecollaborative foreign language anxiety scale (T-FLAS) the online learning self-efficacy (OLSE) questionnaires were administered before and after the treatment to measure the anxiety and self-efficacy. The collected data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that all the three experimental methods were more effective than the control condition in improving the participants’ self-efficacy and reducing their anxiety. In addition, PBIO was significantly more effective than the other two methods in increasing self-efficacy, whereas TMTBLT was more effective than OFL in reducing anxiety.

Keywords

Applied Linguistics Inquiry
Volume 4, Issue 1
March 2026
Pages 26-38

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 September 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 February 2026

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