OVERVIEW OF SELF-EFFICACY

Self-efficacy, an individual’s belief in his or her ability to perform at an expected level and achieve specific goals, builds on success. If you succeed at something, then that success fuels you to achieve more. Students assured in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as achievable challenges rather than situations to be avoided. When they encounter setbacks, students can consistently put forth the effort necessary to succeed because they attribute the setbacks to insufficient effort, knowledge, or skills that can be corrected. In contrast, students with low self-efficacy frustrate easily and dwell on their personal deficiencies when facing obstacles and give up when facing difficulty (Bandura, 1994). They often develop bad habits, for example, feigning illness or putting forth little effort.

High levels of self-efficacy are associated with numerous positive in-school and post-school outcomes such as academic achievement, rigorous course selection, and challenging career choices (Britner & Pajares, 2006). Students with self-efficacy are more likely to take on challenges. They’re also more willing to persist despite setbacks. Because they engage more and work harder, even when students have the same level of ability, those with higher self-efficacy tend to perform better.

“Beliefs in personal efficacy affect life choices, level of motivation, quality of functioning, resilience to adversity and vulnerability to stress and depression. People’s beliefs in their efficacy are developed by four main sources of influence. They include mastery experiences, seeing people similar to oneself manage task demands successfully, social persuasion that one has the capabilities to succeed in given activities, and inferences from somatic and emotional states indicative of personal strengths and vulnerabilities.“

Bandura, 1994

The following video offers a short overview (5:03 minutes) of self-efficacy research, benefits, and strategies.

  1. What are the two components of self-efficacy?
  2. What are three ways to encourage self-efficacy?

Key Points

  • Self-efficacy influences academic motivation, learning, and achievement.
  • Self-efficacy can grow through a positive cycle of reinforcement.

UNPACKING SELF-EFFICACY

Self-efficacy differs from self-esteem, which refers to an individual’s general sense of value, and confidence, a general feeling of self-assurance, because it involves a judgement of specific capabilities when undertaking a course of action (Zimmerman, 2000).

Previous successful experiences help students develop self-efficacy. When they succeed at a goal or task, especially a challenging one, students reinforce the message that they are becoming more skilled. This positive mindset reinforcement leads to improved performance, which in turn leads to higher self-efficacy. Research shows they also can obtain more self-efficacy by observing others performing similar tasks and thinking “I could do that, too.” Positive feedback focused on the student’s effort and progress toward a goal also reinforces positive self-efficacy.

In environments that foster self-efficacy, the student’s personal accomplishments and individual progress are emphasized and competitive social comparisons are de-emphasized. Ability is presented as a skill that can be acquired and expanded (Bandura, 1993).

Built into learning environments, these two concepts increase self-efficacy:

  1. Self-efficacy increases with the belief that ability can grow with effort. Some school practices such as separating individuals by ability and encouraging comparison lead students to believe that intelligence is innate and unchanging. However, interventions that emphasize intelligence can grow with effort have had significant impacts on students’ academic outcomes (Dweck, Walton & Cohen, 2014). When students understand that intelligence and ability are malleable, they don’t feel their efforts are pointless and are willing to take on more challenging tasks. Teachers can encourage this belief by communicating that ability is a skill that can be acquired and by praising effort rather than ability.
  2. Belief in own ability to meet specific goals and/or expectations (Gaumer et al, 2015). Previous experience can influence self-efficacy both positively and negatively. When students take note of their accomplishments, they increase the belief that they can accomplish more in the future. Teachers can support this belief by offering explicit feedback that highlights performance outcomes and informs students that they are making progress, especially when students are learning complex skills (Schunk, 1985). But teachers should avoid overpraising mediocre work, which can undermine a student’s sense of self-efficacy. But teachers should avoid overpraising mediocre work, which can undermine a student’s sense of self-efficacy.