The Merseysiders endured a disappointing 2014-15 Premier League campaign, finishing 11th, but they have eight points from five games so far this season, having taken reigning champions Chelsea apart last time out.
Barkley has already matched his goals tally (two) of last league season and bettered his assists (three, compared to two).
Martinez said the 21-year-old's attitude deserved praise as the England international aimed for improvement, rather than blaming others.
"Football is a team sport and last season was a disappointment for us in the league," the Spaniard said ahead of his team's trip to Swansea City on Saturday.
"We started with a real good feel-good factor and great expectations, but we never reached those.
"Now as a young player, you’ve got a choice. You can say, 'It's the team’s fault' or you can change the team’s performance by improving. That was the attitude of Ross, which is very rare in football.
"He openly said he was not performing as well as he should be. When you have a young player with that incredible attitude, that’s when you see a difference.
"The difference between last season and this one is down to his choice as an individual to take responsibility and say what could he do to make the team better."
Barkley was substituted 10 times in the league last season but Martinez is willing to afford the midfielder more game time this season.
"If you give him minutes for the sake of it, you're not going to get the benefit," Martinez said.
"But, as a player, what I've seen with Ross is a maturity because of the decisions he has taken on the pitch, which allows him to play different roles."
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