Graduation Thesis Writing of English Majors: The Evolution and Development of Self-efficacy under the Supervision——A Case Study of the Yi, Buyi and Tibetan Students
Abstract：Abstract: Minority undergraduates in English major are relatively weak in English writing and academic ability due to the regional development level and their own learning experiences, and there are few empirical studies on the changes of minority undergraduates’ self-efficacy under the supervision of their supervisors. The study adopted a two-year longitudinal qualitative study on the graduation thesis writing process among Yi, Buyi and Tibetan undergraduate English majors, and observed their self-efficacy changing process under the tutorial supervision. The study has two major findings: 1) Minority undergraduates’ self-efficacy gains positive impact and changes through the supervisor’s supervision by opening related courses, arranging reading tasks, requiring regular reporting, organizing learning community, conducting persuasion and emotional intervention; 2) The above-mentioned multiple guidance strategies increases the mastery experiences and vicarious experiences of the minority students, so that their emotional state gradually tends to stabilize, and their scientific research behavior becomes more well-planned, normative and sustainable. The study suggests that supervisors should pay special attention to the input of direct knowledge, the acquisition of vicarious experiences, the construction of role models, the conducting of verbal persuasion and emotional intervention, and the mutual assistance in learning community to promote the evolution and development of minority undergraduates’ self-efficacy. Although this study takes minority undergraduates as an example, the results of this study are also of reference to the supervision of thesis writing for Han students.
Key words: undergraduate thesis; self-efficacy; tutorial supervision; minority undergraduates
