I.

Introduction
The importance of language is essential to every aspect and interaction in our
everyday lives. Teaching and learning a new language is not an easy matter but it
requires a lot of effort and follows some generally accepted principles. Not only are
the cognitive principles focused but also the affective principles are emphasized.
Affective factors are important factors in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and
English teaching. In the coursebook Principles of Language Teaching and Learning
written by H. Douglas Brown, four among the twelve principles mentioned belong
to the Affective domain. In this paper, I would like to investigate in-depth, and give
my insightful analysis on principle 7 of Brown, namely, Self-confidence.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the effects of selfconfidence in Second Language Acquisition within the psycholinguistic field. Also,
I hope that it will be of some assistance to draw some pedagogical implications in
teaching and learning English, especially in the Vietnamese setting.

II. What is self confidence?

It is obvious that no successful cognitive or affective activity can be carried out
without some degree of self-esteem/ self-confidence, knowledge of ourselves, and
belief in our own capabilities for that activity (H. Douglas Brown, 2000). Brown
(2000, p. 23) phrased self-confidence as I can do it or the self-esteem principle,
i.e., a learner believes in his or her own ability to accomplish the task. The
eventual success that learners attain in a task is at least partially a factor of their
belief that they indeed are fully capable of accomplishing the task.

Cooper Smith also associated the concept of self-confidence with self-esteem

which is a personal judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes that
individuals hold about themselves (Cooper Smith, 1967)
Self-confidence is considered to be significant factor, which profoundly
influences the learners language performance. The students who lack confidence
are usually found to be extremely fearful and timid, reluctant to express their
opinions or even unable to utter a complete meaningful sentence in class. The lack
of self-confidence in these students may result in unwillingness to communicate
in a foreign language. It is essential for teachers to dig into its causes, effects and
pedagogical implications so that they can ameliorate their teaching outcome as well
as their students performance in the class.
III. Self-confidence in Second Language Acquisition
First of all, because self-confidence belongs to the Affective domain, we should
understand better the affective factors. All learners in the process of acquiring a
second language have an invisible filter inside them that has the potential to result
in anxiety, stress, and lack of self-confidence. This invisible filter is theoretically
called the affective filter, and it has an important role in the learning of another
language.
Undoubtedly, self-confidence is very significant in language-learning. It
provides learners with the motivation and energy to become positive about their
own learning. It also creates the drive in them to acquire the targeted language,
enjoy the learning process, and experience real communication. At the heart of all
learning is a persons belief in his or her ability to accomplish the task (Atsuta,

2003). In general, successful language learners appear to have higher self-esteem

than those who are unsuccessful (Richard-Amato, 2003). Lack of belief in ones
ability hinders him/her from achieving that taskpursuing a targeted language
mastery. Moreover, it is widely believed that once students gain self-confidence, it
progressively expands, in conjunction with experiencing success and satisfaction as
well as fostering good relationships.
Also, there is a close relationship between self-confidence/ self-esteem and
risk-taking. Oral tasks differ from reading and writing tasks by posing a greater
potential for damage to one's self-esteem in the process of second language
acquisition. In a conversational setting, students do not have time to consult a
dictionary for accurate pronunciation and grammar use before speaking whereas
reading and writing tasks normally allow a student enough time to organize
sentences and to find the most appropriate word. People with "healthy" self-esteem
suffer no psychological damage when they are misunderstood and given negative
feedback. On the other hand, a relatively insecure learner's fear of making a mistake
and receiving unwanted feedback can impede experimentations with newly
acquired knowledge.
In addition, self-confidence/ self-esteem and Locus of Control are all
interrelated. Low self-esteem is related to a desire for competency, mastery,
achievement, strength, adequacy, confidence, and independence (Liebert &
Spiegler, 1990). In other words, people with low self-esteem have higher tendencies
to believe that events that happen in life are beyond their control, whereas people
with high self-esteem believe in their ability to influence events and others. Such

beliefs can apply to the concept of locus of control, originally described by Rotter
in the 1950s (Williams & Burden, 1997). Individuals with an internal locus of
control tend to believe that they are responsible for their successes and failures.
Conversely, people with the external locus of control tend to attribute successes and
failures to luck, chance, or fate (Williams & Burden, 1997).
Besides, low self-confidence can make or break proficiency in a second
language. Affective variables such as fear, nervousness, boredom, resistance to
change can affect the acquisition of a second language by preventing information
about the second language from reaching the language areas of the mind.
Furthermore, when low self-confidence blocks comprehensible input,
acquisition fails or occurs to a lesser extent then when the self-confidence supports
the intake of comprehensible input.
Of all the possible characteristics that can affect language learning, selfconfidence is very important for the following reasons. The first reason is that selfconfidence will encourage a person to try new activities. One would be willing to
take some risks in order to be successful. Another reason is that a confident person
rarely gives up. With these abilities, a confident student can normally

succeed

in language learning.
IV. Pedagogical implications
The principle of self-confidence has meaningful implications for language
teaching and learning. What should be investigated is how to help students to
establish and strengthen their self-confidence when they learn the second language.

In general, language students are often lack self-confidence, especially many

Vietnamese students would not be able to believe that they could be successful in
learning a foreign language. This lack of belief has made students less confidence
to speak in the target language because they do not want to make mistakes.
Therefore, it is not very surprising when teaching a passive and silent Vietnamese
class. However, teachers themselves should not just let it be. They have to be aware
of that weakness of Vietnamese students and blow a new spirit into classroom.
These are some useful pedagogical implications for language teachers to implement
in their classrooms.
Firstly, successful language learning only takes place in an environment where
learners values and positive attitudes are promoted, where learners approach
learning with confidence and joy, and where learners can use the target language
without fear. Therefore, teachers should spare no effort to create conditions that can
be conducive to students self-confidence. Teachers should

not require students

to speak when they are not ready and willing to do so. Speaking is always
voluntary and always welcome; hence, it is genuine speaking, in contrast to the
embarrassed, strained output that passes for speaking in some circumstance.
Teachers should never make their students feel awkward or self-conscious by
putting them on the spot.
Secondly, teachers have to be aware of their roles in boosting students selfconfidence. Teachers can function as psychologists, models, explorers, partners and
mentors (positive roles) but not as testers and judges (negative roles). Primarily,
teachers are explorers. Self-confidence is considered hidden treasure, and it needs

to be discovered. They should use some good activities to seek the traces of selfconfidence inside their students. Moreover, teachers are seen as models of selfconfidence. Because students learn best by modeling and imitation, teachers
themselves have to be models of self-confidence. Also, teachers can be
psychologists within the educational domain. They should be really understanding
and tactical in dealing with the complex and delicate psychology of different
students. Then, they should also be partners or facilitators. They are the ones who
facilitate students in the activities. They should not be commanders because then
they will reduce the self-confidence of students.
Thirdly, students who are lacking in self-confidence have an imaginary wall
that is placed between them and language input. If this filter is on, the learner is
blocking out input. It is important for the teacher not to focus too much on
correction. According to Lile, a student will find it difficult to perform in a
stressful environment (2002). He also mentions that the lessons must be very
simple, yet fun and interesting, with a lot of changes from a writing exercise, to
speaking, to listening, back to writing, and so on.
Fourthly, teachers can foster responsibilities and confidence in students by
empowerment. Empowering students with a sense of confidence will also raise their
self-esteem. Therefore, changes in the overall learning attitude could occur. How
could this be done? Williams and Burden (1997) list some ways to accomplish this
objective. Encourage students to:

 Identify their own attitudes towards language learning and their cognitive and social
strengths and weaknesses.
Develop their own individual plans for learning the language.
Take responsibility for carrying out their own plans.
Participate in the selection of learning activities.
Take responsibility for helping each other in carrying out learning plans.
Fifthly, experience of success provides students with more power to pursue a
new goal. It allows language learners to understand the purpose of trying and
having pleasure in communicating with others. Some people might feel successful
when they can communicate their thoughts to people; others might feel the sense of
success when they complete a challenging task in a targeted language. The feeling
of success time and again emerges specifically when he realizes the degree of his
improvement and achievement.
Finally, developing good relationships among students and between

the

teacher and students can foster self-confidence in the class. There are a number of
methods that English instructors can use to motivate students in class, and
instructors should employ the most suitable method for the class. Furthermore,
Kabilan indicated that Teachers should develop a mutual relationship with their
learners (Kabilan 2000). In order to develop a mutual relationship with their
students, teachers need to understand students who are from different backgrounds,

have different interests, future goals, aims for English learning, and most
importantly, different personalities. Once they understand them better, teachers are
able to apply specific teaching and communicating strategies tailored to each
student, thereby creating a trusting relationship between the teacher and student.
Once a relationship develops, the classroom will become comfortable and enjoyable
enough for students to learn positively from the teacher without any hesitation.
Hussin, Maarof, and DCruz mention that what occurs in the language classrooms
must be extended beyond the walls of the classroom so that a link is created
between what is learned in the classrooms with what occurs outside of the
classrooms (2001). Languages cannot be learned merely in classrooms. Learning a
language requires communication in real life situations. Thus, students need to
acquire an array of communication skills that they can use with various kinds of
people. It is essential that they learn not only how to communicate in the target
language but also the background, history, and culture of the language.
Therefore, it is appropriate for teachers to organize some activities for students such
as going to some close tourist destinations to have them interact with native
speakers. There they can really experience using the target language. They will feel
fascinated and motivated thus increasing their self-confidence in using language
both inside and outside the classroom.
V. Conclusion
Self-confidence is vital in language learning. It makes language learners
positive about their own learning. It also creates the drive in them to acquire the
target language, enjoy the learning process, and experience real communication.

Language teachers have the potential to enhance students' confidence and help them
to find a new purpose in life with the newly acquired skills.
VI. References
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to
language pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching: White
Plain, NY: Pearson Education.
Ebata, M. (2008). Motivation factors in language learning. The Internet TESL
Journal, 14 (4).
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University
Press.
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The
role of attitudes and motivation. Arnold.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition (pp.
1982-1982). Pergamon: Oxford.
Williams, M., & Burden, R. L.(1997).Psychology for Language Teachers: a
Social Constructivist Approach.