Abstract This study investigated the relationship between Attribution theory, Motivation, Self-efficacy, and Listening comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 118 EFL learners studying English at private institutes in Hamedan and Tehran were selected based on convenience sampling procedures. Causal Dimension Scale II, Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) were distributed among the participants to measure causal attributions of success and failure, motivation, and self-efficacy, respectively. The participants also took IELTS listening comprehension test. The results of the study revealed that firstly, there are significant correlations between the participants' causal attributions, motivation, self-efficacy and listening comprehension. The higher the participants' motivation and self-efficacy, the better their performance in listening comprehension. Secondly, successful participants attributed their performance to internal, stable, and personally controllable factors, while unsuccessful ones ascribed their failure to external, unstable, and uncontrollable factors. Thirdly, among the underlying elements of attribution theory, listening comprehension and self-efficacy are mostly correlated with locus, while motivation is mostly correlated with stability. Finally, among motivation, self-efficacy, and attribution theory, motivation seems to be the strongest predictor of the participants' listening comprehension.
