Domain-specific Self-efficacy Research Articles

The Relationship between Geographical Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievements in Geography: A Moderated Mediating Model

There are limited studies on the impact of domain-specific self-efficacy on academic achievements. The geospatial thinking ability is paramount to understand the relationship between geographical self-efficacy and academic achievements in geography. This study aims to explore the mediating effect of geospatial thinking on the relationship between geographical self-efficacy and academic achievements, and the moderating role of gender and attendance type. A total of 749 Chinese high school students, working as participants, anonymously completed a questionnaire covering topics like geographical spatial thinking, geographical self-efficacy, academic achievements in geography, gender, attendance type, and place of residence. The analysis using MPLUS 8.3 software indicates that geographical self-efficacy significantly predicts academic achievements in geography. Geospatial thinking plays a significant mediating role in this pathway, with gender and type of attendance having moderating effects. This study enhances the understanding between domain-specific self-efficacy and academic achievements, providing crucial guidance for educational practices, such as emphasizing geospatial thinking training for high school students, focusing on encouraging female students, and properly scheduling rest times for boarders, which will significantly contribute to the sustainable development of geography education.

The role of self-efficacy in women’s autonomy for health and nutrition decision-making in rural Bangladesh

BackgroundAgency – including the sub-domains of intrinsic agency, instrumental agency, and collective agency – is a critical component of the women’s empowerment process. Self-efficacy (a component of intrinsic agency) may operate as a motivational influence for women to make choices according to their own preferences or goals, such that higher self-efficacy would be associated with more autonomous decision-making (a key component of instrumental agency).MethodsWe examine these relationships using mixed methods. We developed a series of decision-making autonomy indices, which captured alignment between the woman’s reported and preferred roles in health and nutrition decisions. Using ordinal logistic regression, we assessed the relationship between generalized self-efficacy and decision-making autonomy.ResultsThere was a consistently positive association across all categories of decision-making, controlling for a number of individual and household-level covariates. In a sub-sample of joint decision-makers (i.e., women who reported making decisions with at least one other household member), we compared the association between generalized self-efficacy (i.e., one’s overall belief in their ability to succeed) and decision-making autonomy to that of domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., one’s belief in their ability to achieve a specific goal) and decision-making autonomy. Across all decision-making categories, domain-specific self-efficacy was more strongly associated with decision-making autonomy than generalized self-efficacy. In-depth interviews provided additional context for interpretation of the regression analyses.ConclusionsThe results indicate the importance of the role of self-efficacy in the women’s empowerment process, even in the traditionally female-controlled areas of health and nutrition decision-making. The development of the decision-making autonomy index is an important contribution to the literature in that it directly recognizes and captures the role of women’s preferences regarding participation in decision-making.

Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy Scales for Elementary and Middle School Students

Background. Self-efficacy refers to students’ perceived confidence in their ability to tackle learning tasks. Research shows that self-efficacy serves as an important predictor of academic achievement and relates to students’ academic success, self-regulated learning, and motivation. It is therefore important to understand how self-efficacy develops and manifests itself in Russian schoolchildren and relates to their academic achievement. Objective. To establish evidence of the validity and reliability of domain-specific self-efficacy scales developed for elementary and middle school students. Design. Messick’s unified framework was used to establish validity. The surveys were administered to elementary and middle school students in two regions of Russia. Results. The pilot testing of the self-efficacy scales for elementary school, using exploratory (n = 972) and confirmatory (n = 972) factor analyses, resulted in a four-factor model, which was later confirmed with a different sample of elementary students (n = 1,392) with good reliability estimates (α = 0.75–0.82). The pilot testing of self-efficacy scales for middle school, using exploratory (n = 583) and confirmatory (n = 584) factor analyses, resulted in a three-factor model, showing excellent reliability estimates (α = 0.88–0.93). Conclusion. The evidence of construct validity suggests that the domain-specific self-efficacy scales for elementary and middle school students can be recommended for use by researchers and practitioners. The article presents ideas for additional validation studies and future research using domain-specific self-efficacy scales.

A Study on the Relationship between Domain Specific Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation in e-Learning Contexts

Self-regulation has been found to be integral to academic learning in traditional classroom environments. Social cognition theory highlights the significant relationships between academic self-efficacy, internet self-efficacy, and work experience in years on self-regulation in the context of traditional classroom learning. However, there is a lacuna in the literature on the significance of these relationships in the context of e-learning. The exponential growth of e-learning and changes in business environment necessitate a study to examine the effect on self-regulation in the context of e-learning. This research is based on a sample of 525 management students from a business school in South Asia. The findings highlight that academic and internet self-efficacy have a positive effect on self-regulation even in an e-learning environment. e-learning here refers to interactive online learning, in a university setting. The findings have significant implications for both theory and practice as they build on the existing literature. We suggest use of training-based interventions for promoting self-regulation which subsequently would facilitate higher e-learning efficacy.

Techno-Stress Creators, Burnout and Psychological Health among Remote Workers during the Pandemic: The Moderating Role of E-Work Self-Efficacy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was pervasively implemented, causing an increase in technology-related job demands. Concurrently, there was an increase in psychological problems in the occupational population. This study on remote workers tested a moderated mediation model positing burnout, conceptualized according to the Burnout Assessment Tool, as the mediator between techno-stressors and psychological health outcomes and e-work self-efficacy as a protective personal resource. A sample of 225 remote workers filled out anonymous questionnaires measuring techno-stressors, e-work self-efficacy, burnout, and psychological health symptoms (i.e., depressive mood and anxiety symptoms). The data were analyzed using structural equation mediation and moderated mediation models, adopting a parceling technique. The results showed that burnout totally mediated the relationship between techno-stressors and depressive mood, while partially mediating the association between techno-stressors and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, e-work self-efficacy buffered the positive effects of techno-stressors on depressive mood and anxiety symptoms through burnout. The present research attested to the relevance of techno-stressors for the psychological health of remote workers and supported burnout as a mediator of this process, although anxiety symptoms were also directly related to techno-stressors. Moreover, the protective role of domain-specific self-efficacy was confirmed in the realm of remote working. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

School bullying and self-efficacy in adolescence: A meta-analysis.

Given that literature has examined the relation between school bullying and self-efficacy, findings have been mixed. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify whether school bullying is associated with adolescents' self-efficacy, a key component of social information processing essential for the evaluation of potential behavioral responses. We further examined moderators associated with heterogeneity in the above relation, including participant roles, types of school bullying, types of self-efficacy, and demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, and cultural background). This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Statement for searching, identifying, and screening eligible articles. A total of 53 articles (N = 71,661; Mage = 12.69 years) were included (50 in English and 3 in Chinese). Articles were coded by two graduate-level coders independently with a high inter-rater reliability (97.12%). The results showed that (1) school bullying was negatively associated with self-efficacy (r = -.07, p < .001) among adolescents, and (2) the above relation varied by participant role (e.g., bullies, victims, bully-victims, and defenders), types of school bullying (e.g., traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and both), and types of self-efficacy (e.g., general and domain-specific self-efficacy). The findings highlight that school bullying is associated with disruptive cognitive processing in adolescence, low self-efficacy in particular, and the heterogeneity should be considered to fully understand the association between school bullying and self-efficacy among adolescents.

The Impact of Upper Limb Apraxia on General and Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy in Post-Stroke Patients.

Upper limb apraxia (ULA) is a neurological syndrome characterized by the inability to perform purposeful movements. ULA could impact individuals' perceptions, including perceived self-efficacy. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ULA is related to general self-efficacy and self-efficacy for managing symptoms in post-stroke patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 82 post-stroke patients. Regression analyses were implemented using a stepwise model including seven dimensions of ULA: imitation (non-symbolic, intransitive, and transitive), pantomime (non-symbolic, intransitive, and transitive), and dimension of apraxic performance in activities of daily living. These dimensions were independent variables, while general self-efficacy and symptom management self-efficacy dimensions were dependent variables. The findings revealed that intransitive imitation accounted for 14% of the variance in general self-efficacy and 10% of self-efficacy for managing emotional symptoms. Transitive imitation explained 10% of the variance in self-efficacy for managing global symptoms and 5% for social-home integration symptoms. The combination of intransitive imitation, non-symbolic pantomime, and alterations in activities of daily living performance associated with ULA explained 24% of the variance in cognitive self-efficacy. Hence, ULA dimensions seem to be related to the levels of general perceived self-efficacy and self-efficacy for managing symptoms among post-stroke patients.

Which is more predictive: Domain- or task-specific self-efficacy in teaching and outcomes?

Students' academic performance and learning experiences are crucial in school education, yet their relationships with instructional characteristics remain an open question. The present study examined how cognitive activation and teacher support were associated with students' academic emotions and achievement in math classrooms via domain- and task-specific self-efficacy. In total, 5388 eighth graders from central China participated in this study. Cognitive activation, teacher support, math-related enjoyment and anxiety, and domain- and task-specific self-efficacy were measured with self-reported student questionnaires. The math achievement was measured with a standardized test. Our findings showed that the two instructional characteristics were positively related to math achievement and enjoyment but negatively related to math anxiety, with the mediation effects of task- and domain-specific self-efficacy. In detail, cognitive activation had a stronger relationship with math anxiety through task-specific self-efficacy than domain-specific self-efficacy. Whereas, cognitive activation had a greater linkage with math enjoyment through domain-specific self-efficacy than task-specific self-efficacy. In addition, teacher support had a greater association with learning outcomes through domain-specific self-efficacy than task-specific self-efficacy. The relational mechanism of cognitive activation and teacher support on math achievement and academic emotions were differentially mediated by task- and domain-specific self-efficacy in Chinese math classrooms.

Commentary on "Comparing Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education Across Classroom-Based, Online, and Hybrid Curriculum Designs".

Commentary on "Comparing Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education Across Classroom-Based, Online, and Hybrid Curriculum Designs".

‘I can succeed at this’: engagement in service learning in schools enhances university students’ self-efficacy

ABSTRACT Engaging in service learning has been linked to multiple positive outcomes in students, such as an increase in self-efficacy. Effects have been found on both general and domain-specific self-efficacy. Research on service learning has indicated that feedback and gender had an impact on the increase in self-efficacy, though findings are mixed. The present study aimed to determine how service learning experiences at a university can be optimally designed to boost college students’ self-efficacy, while examining the effects of feedback and gender on general and teaching self-efficacy. Over 2 years, 267 bachelor’s students in psychology (M age = 23.08 years, SD = 3.61; 80.5% female) conducted modularized prevention programs in the context of mental health at primary and secondary schools. Students rated their general and teaching self-efficacy before (T1), during (T2), and after (T3) conducting the program. The results indicate a positive effect of engaging in service learning on students’ general (d = 0.30) and teaching (d = 0.68) self-efficacy from T1 to T3 with significant increases only in female students, and after receiving feedback. Engaging in service learning reduced gender-specific differences in self-efficacy. Feedback increased general and teaching self-efficacy. Female students seemed to benefit more than male students.

Comparing Domain-Specific Self-Efficacy in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education Across Classroom-Based, Online, and Hybrid Curriculum Designs.

To describe the pediatric curriculum across 3 years when different instructional designs were used, quantify change in self-efficacy (SE) after completing the curriculum, and define relationships between pediatric experience, SE, and interest in future pediatric practice. Students (N = 137) were included over 3 consecutive years. Instructional design varied across cohorts: classroom-based (n = 48), online (n = 44), and hybrid (n = 45). Pediatric content hours were analyzed. Measures were the Pediatric Communication and Handling Self-Efficacy Scale, pediatric experience, and interest in future pediatric practice. Pediatric content hours met published recommendations. Significant growth in SE occurred for all cohorts, with no significant differences in SE scores based on instructional design. Experience and interest in pediatrics were significantly related to communication SE. The pediatric physical therapy curriculum delivered via classroom-based, online, or hybrid instruction can be effective in promoting pediatric-specific growth in student SE. Remote pediatric experiential learning is a feasible option for physical therapy programs with limited direct contact with children. What this adds to the evidence : When pediatric curricula meet recommended total hours of instruction, regardless of instructional method or amount of direct laboratory time with real children, pediatric-specific student SE increases. This supports the use of alternative approaches for experiential learning activities in programs with limited access and availability for direct in-person child interactions. Programs may expand integrated clinical experiences (ICE) opportunities to include telehealth when in-person ICE is limited due to distance or availability in nearby clinical settings. Online learning activities (asynchronous or synchronous) may be viable options for laboratory activities when live child volunteers are limited or unavailable. Use of multiple methods of instruction (classroom-based, online, or hybrid) can be beneficial in covering pediatric physical therapy content and improving SE. This evidence can help programs expand their options for exposing student physical therapists to pediatric practice.

Generalized Self-Efficacy Shields on the Negative Effect of Academic Anxiety on Academic Self-Efficacy During COVID-19 Over Time: A Mixed-Method Study

This two-wave longitudinal study demonstrates the important role of generalized self-efficacy in enhancing online education for Pakistan’s university students during COVID-19. Four hundred and two students participated in the study at both Time 1 and Time 2. Generalized self-efficacy and academic anxiety based on online classes was assessed at Time 1, whereas academic self-efficacy at Time 2. Results indicated that moderate and high levels of generalized self-efficacy shield the negative effects of higher levels of academic anxiety on academic self-efficacy over time. Results suggest that generalized self-efficacy—as a positive resistance resource factor—may gradually coalesce into academic self-efficacy (domain-specific self-efficacy), which at first may be underdeveloped in students in the face of academic anxiety emanating from their online classes during COVID-19 (the novel challenging situation). Further, students’ coded responses revealed ten major sources of academic anxiety emanating from their online classes including internet connectivity issues, increased academic demands, lack of active engagement in online classes, inability to understand difficult topics, and ambiguous internal assessment criteria. Findings suggest implementing interventions for students focusing on instilling internal resources embodied in generalized self-efficacy, conducting active and engaging online classes based on emotionalized learning experiences, and increasing the overall efficacy of teaching and learning during the pandemic through the implementation of a meaningful blended learning approach—based on an online learning mode and an offline personal and collaborative learning mode.

Learning with a digital escape room game: before or after instruction?

In this study, we investigated whether playing an escape room game after explicit instruction (instruction-first group, N = 20) is more effective to learn about copyright and media law than playing the game before explicit instruction (problem-solving-first group, N = 21). This is an important question as escape room games are complex, problem-based learning environments that can overwhelm learners and thus hinder the acquisition of knowledge and skills. According to cognitive load theory, preparing learners with explicit instruction before problem-solving activities can overcome this problem leading to better learning. However, in the productive failure paradigm problem-solving before explicit instruction is seen as more effective, especially when it comes to the application of newly acquired knowledge to solve novel problems. Based on these two theories, we conducted an experiment and found that playing the developed digital escape room game after explicit instruction was more effective for knowledge retention and domain-specific self-efficacy with at the same time lower cognitive load. However, we found no differences regarding the application of knowledge as both groups scored equally high on transfer tasks. The result is discussed considering previous productive failure studies mostly conducted in the science and engineering domain. In sum, the instruction first approach proved to be effective for both knowledge acquisition and knowledge application, leading to higher domain-specific self-efficacy and lower cognitive load. Therefore, we conclude that the implementation of escape room games after instruction is an effective instructional approach and better suited to promote learning than playing escape room games before instruction.

The role of gender and self-efficacy in domestic energy saving behaviors: A case study in Lombardy, Italy

A deeper understanding of the domestic saving behaviors is crucial for improving Italian energy policies, as the country is still characterized by the dependence on foreign non-renewable sources and by an underestimation of psycho-social and behavioral factors. This research explores the relationship between gender, self-efficacy and energy saving behaviors at the household level in the Lombardy region, Italy. We investigated the characteristics of the well-documented gender gap in energy saving behaviors, to understand if virtuous habits by women are observed also in that context, how gender effects are related with different types of addressed behaviors and the role of self-efficacy in this process. Results suggest that gender effects are not uniformly spread across energy saving behaviors, but interrelated with the local and national culture, following specific patterns. Moreover, data show that domain-specific self-efficacy is gender-sensitive. The study indicates that promoting a gender perspective is a key factor when designing sustainability policies at individual, family, and community level. Moreover, it points to the need for specific strategies dedicated to the various domestic energy saving targets and behaviors, in general and in the Italian context.

Professional identity formation: The key contributors and dental students' concerns.

This study aimed to explore the components of professional identity formation (PIF) and understand dental students' concerns toward their professional identity development so that research-informed recommendations can be made to improve dental professional programs. This is a qualitative study. A total of 18 students of the whole graduating class (class size: 46) were interviewed about their progress through a newly designed curriculum specific for the dental students at a large public research university in Canada. The audio files were recorded, transcribed, and corrected by a research assistant. Using QSR International's NVivo (Version 12), the researchers of this study conducted a thematic analysis to generate overarching themes and extract the relevant components of PIF. Five themes emerged from the study as follows: (i) domain-specific self-efficacy, (ii) role modeling and mentoring, (iii) professional socialization with peers, (iv) learning environment (LE), and (v) reflection. We considered these to be the five key contributors to dental students' PIF. Understanding the main concerns for students and improving the LE are critical in helping students form their professional identity. The findings of this qualitative study identified some important aspects of the dental curricula for educators to consider. These results can be used by future research studies to explore models for professional identity assessment tools that can aid in guiding students' professional identity development.

상호작용공정성이 발언행동에 미치는 영향 - 변화자기효능감과 창의자기효능감의 매개효과를 중심으로 -

Based on interactional justice(interpersonal, informational) theory(Colquitt, 2001), interpersonal justice reflect the degree to which employee are treated with politeness, dignity and respect by authorities and informational justice focus on the explanation provided to employee that convey information about why procedures were used in a certain way or why outcomes were distributed in a certain fashion. This study focus on social cognitive theory(Bandura, 1997), we set the domain specific self-efficacy reflect the change and creative, such as change self-efficacy, creative self-efficacy mediate relationship between interactional justice and voice behavior. After literature review, we build up theoretical variables relationship and proposed mediating effect hypothesis. To test hypothesis, survey method were performed. To overcome common method bias problem, we conduct multi-source respond by employees and supervisor and total 257 questionnaires are used for analysis. The major finding are as follows. First, interpersonal justice positive impact on voice behavior. Second, interpersonal justice positive impact on change self-efficacy however, informational justice have positive impact on both of change self-efficacy and creative self-efficacy. Third, change self-efficacy and creative self-efficacy have positive impact on voice behavior. Finally, change self-efficacy mediate relationship between interpersonal justice and voice behavior, and change self-efficacy and creative self-efficacy mediate relationship between informational justice and voice behavior. Our results show that the theoretical and practical implication which amplify the employees voice behavior, interactional justice is more important and clarify the justice-voice behavior connection. Specially, change and creative self-efficacy was mediate of the informational justice and voice behavior.

The interplay of core self-evaluation and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in predicting entrepreneurial orientation

ABSTRACT Given limited attention to the individual-level antecedents of entrepreneurial orientation in small business ventures, this study explores two antecedents, core self-evaluation and entrepreneurial domain-specific self-efficacy, and links a disposition with a cognition in predicting small business owner-managers’ choice of entrepreneurial orientation. We specify and test a partially mediated model with a large sample of owners who are the principal decision-makers in their ventures. The results demonstrate that there is no significant direct relationship between owner-managers’ core self-evaluations and their choice of entrepreneurial orientation in the venture, but that entrepreneurial domain-specific self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship, extending the discussion about the development of entrepreneurial orientations.

Exploring the relationship between extracurricular activities and student self-efficacy within university

ABSTRACT This exploratory study addresses a gap in the literature for the potential in assessing domain-specific self-efficacy within the context of Higher Education (HE). Focusing on HE students’ participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs), the study builds on the authors’ previous research which recognised the impact of ECAs on HE students’ lived experiences. An initial sample of two hundred and ninety-four students from a from a post-92 Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the North of England (UK) completed a survey designed to measure self-concepts of student self-efficacy, encompassing academic and social tasks, and fifty-four of those students completed a follow-up survey. The key finding was that there is a positive association between involvement in certain ECAs and self-efficacy in students within the university context. Furthermore, the results indicate a relationship between engagement with certain ECA-types and specific domains of self-efficacy. These findings have important implications in that supporting students to develop higher levels of self-efficacy specific to the university setting could have an impact on key HE outcomes, such as employability. Further research needs to be undertaken to establish if there is a causal link between involvement in ECAs and the development of self-efficacy whilst at university.

The importance of domain-specific self-efficacy assessment for substance use and HIV care continuum outcomes among adults in an urban HIV clinic network

ABSTRACT Despite the prominence of self-efficacy as a predictor of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, relatively little work has examined domain-specific associations with steps in the care continuum or the possibility that substance use may have domain-specific associations with self-efficacy. This study analyzed data from a sample of 174 people living with HIV recruited through three clinics in the New York City metro area. Consistent with hypotheses, path analysis showed that appointments kept and viral load were each predicted only by their respective domain-specific self-efficacy components (i.e., self-efficacy for keeping appointments, B = 0.01, p = .04; and self-efficacy for taking ART medications, B = −0.02, p < .01). Path models also indicated domain-specific associations with substance use. Self-efficacy for keeping appointments was negatively associated with severity of drug use (B = −1.81, p < .01); meanwhile, self-efficacy for taking ART medications was negatively associated with severity of alcohol use (B = −0.52, p < .01). Accordingly, studies assessing barriers to retention in the HIV care continuum should conduct multi-domain assessments of self-efficacy for differential associations with specific behaviors. Furthermore, HIV care providers might consider screening for domain-specific self-efficacy to identify patients at risk of drop-out and tailoring interventions to various care continuum domains.

The relationship between domain- and task-specific self-efficacy and mathematical problem posing: a large-scale study of eighth-grade students in China

This study explored 1634 Chinese eighth-grade students’ domain- and task-specific self-efficacy and its relationship to their problem-posing performance. In particular, the linear regression model, generalized additive model (GAM), and piecewise regression model (PRM) were used to detail the linear and non-linear relationships between these variables. The findings indicate that most (92.5%) of the students could pose mathematical problems in all tasks, but the effect of their domain-specific self-efficacy on their problem-posing performance was lower than the effect of their task-specific self-efficacy. Students’ problem-posing performance and their task-specific self-efficacy were not always matched when the requirements of the problem they posed varied in difficulty. As the level of difficulty increased, the correlation coefficient between task-specific self-efficacy and problem posing declined from 0.22 to 0.06. Furthermore, PRM confirmed that there were significant changes of the slope around the cut-point of the relationship between task-specific self-efficacy and students’ problem-posing performance. Moreover, the relationship between task-specific self-efficacy and posing performance was different for easy and difficult problems, as the cut-point and slopes before and after the point varied. The findings of this study contribute both to understanding self-efficacy as well as advancing understanding about the characteristics of problem posing from a non-cognitive perspective.