Assessment Framing, Communicative Self-Efficacy, and Stability in EFL Speaking Performance.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Assessment Framing, Communicative Self-Efficacy, and Stability in EFL Speaking Performance.
Authors:	Nhung, Nguyen Thi My¹, Pham, Hang Thu¹
Source:	Journal of Language Teaching & Research. Jul2026, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p1454-1467. 14p.
Subject Terms:	Formative evaluation, Second language acquisition, Fluency (Language learning), Educational evaluation, Self-efficacy, Structural equation modeling, Social cognitive theory
Abstract:	Speaking performance in instructed second language contexts often fluctuates across comparable classroom tasks, even among learners with similar proficiency levels. Existing explanations typically attribute such variability to differences in linguistic competence or task conditions but pay limited attention to the regulatory influence of assessment environments. This study examines whether assessment framing in classroom speaking evaluation contributes to lower variability in speaking performance through communicative selfefficacy. Drawing on social-cognitive theory and formative assessment research, the study proposes a mechanism in which assessment environments shape learners' confidence in their ability to perform speaking tasks successfully, thereby influencing the consistency of observable speaking performance. Data were collected from 372 undergraduate EFL students enrolled in university speaking courses in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Structural equation modeling indicated that assessment framing positively predicted communicative selfefficacy (β = .48, p < .001), which in turn predicted lower speaking performance variability across comparable tasks (β = -.41, p < .001). These findings suggest that classroom assessment functions not only as a measurement procedure but also as a regulatory pedagogical environment shaping the behavioral realization of linguistic competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Speaking performance in instructed second language contexts often fluctuates across comparable classroom tasks, even among learners with similar proficiency levels. Existing explanations typically attribute such variability to differences in linguistic competence or task conditions but pay limited attention to the regulatory influence of assessment environments. This study examines whether assessment framing in classroom speaking evaluation contributes to lower variability in speaking performance through communicative selfefficacy. Drawing on social-cognitive theory and formative assessment research, the study proposes a mechanism in which assessment environments shape learners' confidence in their ability to perform speaking tasks successfully, thereby influencing the consistency of observable speaking performance. Data were collected from 372 undergraduate EFL students enrolled in university speaking courses in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Structural equation modeling indicated that assessment framing positively predicted communicative selfefficacy (β = .48, p < .001), which in turn predicted lower speaking performance variability across comparable tasks (β = -.41, p < .001). These findings suggest that classroom assessment functions not only as a measurement procedure but also as a regulatory pedagogical environment shaping the behavioral realization of linguistic competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	17984769
DOI:	10.17507/jltr.1704.30