Efficacy Beliefs Research Articles

Cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress is associated with generalized self-efficacy and self-efficacy outcomes during adventure challenges.

Outdoor adventure challenges are commonly used to enhance self-efficacy, but the physiological mechanisms involved remain unexplored. Additionally, while studies have documented the influence of self-efficacy on stress management, general self-efficacy has yet to be fully understood in the context of cardiovascular stress reactivity (CVR). This study investigated the influence of self-efficacy beliefs on CVR during acute psychological stress tasks. Additionally, it explored whether CVR serves as a novel mechanism underlying the outcomes of outdoor adventure challenges. As part of a wider randomized controlled trial, participants (n = 55) were invited to complete a laboratory session to assess CVR to an active (paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT)) and a passive (cold pressor test (CPT)) stress task. Randomized participants (n = 33) to the experimental condition also engaged in a high ropes challenge course after the laboratory session. It was found that greater self-reported self-efficacy was associated with larger CVR during the CPT and positively associated with perceived engagement and performance during the PASAT. Secondly, participants reporting positive change in self-efficacy post-intervention were associated with greater CVR and greater CVR was associated with higher ratings of intervention engagement and perceived challenge. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that greater efficacy beliefs may heighten CVR to passive acute psychological stressors. Habitual stress reactivity may represent a novel mechanism involved in outdoor and adventure-based interventions. Future research should continue to explore the impact of psychological variables on stress physiology and examine CVR as a potential mechanism in adventure experiences.

Metacognitive beliefs of efficacy about daily life situations and use of cognitive strategies in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a cross-sectional study.

Metacognition, the ability to monitor and regulate cognitive processes, is essential for individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to accurately identify their deficits and effectively manage them. However, previous studies primarily focused on memory awareness in MCI, neglecting other domains affected in daily life. This study aimed to investigate how individuals with MCI perceive their abilities to handle various cognitively challenging situations representing real-life scenarios and their use of compensatory strategies. Thus 100 participants were recruited, including 50 with amnestic MCI with multiple deficits (aMCI) and 50 cognitively healthy controls (HC) matched in age and education. Participants completed three metacognitive scales assessing self-perceived efficacy in everyday life scenarios and one scale evaluating use of cognitive strategies. Results indicated that aMCI participants reported significantly lower self-efficacy in memory and divided-shifted attention scenarios compared to HC. Surprisingly, no significant group differences were found in the self-reports about the use of cognitive strategies. This suggests a potential gap in understanding or applying effective strategies for compensating cognitive deficits. These findings emphasize the importance of cognitive training programs targeting metacognitive knowledge enhancement and practical use of cognitive strategies that could enhance the quality of life for individuals with MCI.

Adapting a self-efficacy scale to the task of teaching scientific reasoning: collecting evidence for its psychometric quality using Rasch measurement.

Besides teachers' professional knowledge, their self-efficacy is a crucial aspect in promoting students' scientific reasoning (SR). However, because no measurement instrument has yet been published that specifically refers to self-efficacy beliefs regarding the task of teaching SR, we adapted the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) accordingly, resulting in the Teaching Scientific Reasoning Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (TSR-EBI). While the conceptual framework of the TSR-EBI is comparable to that of the STEBI in general terms, it goes beyond it in terms of specificity, acknowledging the fact that teaching SR requires very specific knowledge and skills that are not necessarily needed to the same extent for promoting other competencies in science education. To evaluate the TSR-EBI's psychometric quality, we conducted two rounds of validation. Both samples (N1 = 114; N2 = 74) consisted of pre-service teachers enrolled in university master's programs in Germany. The collected data were analyzed by applying Rasch analysis and known-group comparisons. In the course of an analysis of the TSR-EBI's internal structure, we found a 3-category scale to be superior to a 5-category structure. The person and item reliability of the scale proved to be satisfactory. Furthermore, during the second round of validation, it became clear that the results previously found for the 3-category scale were generally replicable across a new (but comparable) sample, which clearly supports the TSR-EBI's psychometric quality. Moreover, in terms of test-criterion relationships, the scale was also able to discriminate between groups that are assumed to have different levels of self-efficacy regarding teaching SR. Nonetheless, some findings also suggest that the scale might benefit from having the selection of individual items reconsidered (despite acceptable item fit statistics). On balance, however, we believe that the TSR-EBI has the potential to provide valuable insights in future studies regarding factors that influence teachers' self-efficacy, such as their professional experiences, prior training, or perceived barriers to effective teaching.

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Instructional Practices Regarding English Language Learners

This mixed-methods study was used to examine the impact of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and instructional practices when teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). Quantitative and qualitative data were sequentially collected, concurrently analyzed, and triangulated. A sample of 126 experienced K-12 educators from the northeastern US completed (a) a demographic survey, (b) a teachers’ self-efficacy survey, and (c) a classroom strategy scale. A stepwise multilinear regression procedure determined that teachers’ use of academic performance feedback, efficacy beliefs in student engagement, and employment of both student-directed and direct instructional practices predicted teachers’ self-perceptions about being able to adapt instruction for their ELL population. Qualitative data were obtained from 10 participants who self-rated as having high self-efficacy and classroom strategy use. Themes included foundational requirements, school leadership, specific instructional strategies, and knowing how to apply these strategies with ELLs. The triangulated results revealed that when school leaders provide professional learning opportunities that support a truly inclusive curriculum and collaborative time in which to plan with colleagues, there is a positive impact on teachers’ self-efficacy to instruct ELLs.

Emotion regulation efficacy beliefs: The outsized impact of base rates.

To regulate others' emotions effectively we must learn about the efficacy of our regulation attempts. Deciding whether we made someone else feel better involves a causal judgment about the effect of our intervention on their emotional state. The current study examined whether, like other causal judgments, beliefs about emotion regulation efficacy are disproportionately affected by base rates. In two experiments, we showed that participants' perceived efficacy at helping a target regulate their emotions was more influenced by the target's average emotion levels than the relative effect of regulating versus not regulating the target's emotion. This led participants to conclude that they were helpful both when they were not (Experiment 1) and even when they made the target feel worse (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that our beliefs about the effectiveness of other-directed emotion regulation are notably biased by the average level of emotion expressed by the regulation target. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Japanese English-as-a-Foreign-Language Teachers: The Importance of Teacher Experience

This article presents the findings of a mixed-methods study measuring the efficacy beliefs of Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language teachers regarding student engagement, instructional strategies, classroom management, and lesson planning. The study sought to identify relationships between levels of self-reported efficacy among these teachers and their gender, as well as their teaching experience. It also examined their views on how schools could support their teaching to enable them to become more effective and confident language teachers. Data were collected using a reflective report, a semi-structured interview, and a self-efficacy questionnaire. The findings indicated that Japanese secondary school teachers reported fairly high levels of perceived self-efficacy in their pedagogical practice. These beliefs were significantly correlated to only one factor: teaching experience. The study also revealed that experienced teachers had higher expectations regarding support from their schools and that these were more concrete and explanatory than those of novice teachers.

Mathematics teaching efficacy belief of preschool teachers of Hawassa city in Ethiopia

The ability of a teacher to plan and carry out the required actions to achieve desired results is known as teacher effectiveness. Although views and subject matter expertise, particularly when teaching mathematics, are key determinants in teachers' ability to teach pupils effectively. This study uses the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI), adapted and translated into Ethiopian Amharic, to ascertain preschool teachers' efficacy views towards early math teaching in Hawassa City. Participants in the research were teachers who work in both public and private preschools in Hawassa City. Forty-four preschool teachers participated in the data collection. The results showed that there is a low belief in the efficacy of teaching early math, and the majority of participants were unsure or uncertain about teaching early math effectively. There was no significant difference among KG teachers' efficacy beliefs on teaching beforehand early math in their time of experience. Also, there was a significant difference between private and public preschool teachers’ efficacy beliefs in teaching early math. Keywords: belief; efficacy; kindergarten teacher; math; teaching

Pre-service elementary teachers’ science and engineering teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy: exploring the impacts of efficacy source experiences through varying course modalities

BackgroundTeacher efficacy is one of the most influential components for effective instruction, highlighting the importance of providing preservice teachers (PSTs) with opportunities to learn how to teach engineering during their college preparatory coursework. Making space for engineering instruction within science methods coursework could provide opportunities for PSTs to enhance their engineering teaching efficacy but also requires course instructors to give up some time previously devoted to science-focused instruction. The purpose of the current study was to explore how infusing engineering learning opportunities into a science methods course impacts PSTs’ engineering and science teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy.ResultsPre/post-surveys were completed by PSTs enrolled in a Kindergarten-8th grade science methods course offered in four modalities (i.e., face-to-face, hybrid, online, rapid shift online). The course offered multiple engineering-focused learning activities and vicarious experiences. PSTs’ science teaching efficacy beliefs, engineering teaching efficacy beliefs, science teaching outcome expectancy, and engineering teaching outcome expectancy all significantly increased from pre- to post-test. There was no significant difference between efficacy gains based on course modality. The purposeful inclusion of multiple engineering activities and vicarious experiences allows for significant gains in science and engineering teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy regardless of the modality in which the course is taken.ConclusionsThis study shows that having varied efficacy source experiences while learning engineering design can result in increased efficacy, even in the absence of field experience and face-to-face coursework, and that the inclusion of these engineering experiences with science methods coursework does not detract from enhancing science teaching efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy. Further research is needed to more closely examine individual components of science methods courses and the impacts each component has when implemented using different course modalities.

Analysing cutback management strategies amidst the Covid 19 pandemic: Insights from Pennsylvania municipalities

IMPACT This study examines cutback strategies of Pennsylvania’s local governments during the Covid 19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of pandemic risk perceptions and managerial efficacy beliefs in shaping these strategies. It was found that heightened risk perception decreased the likelihood of expenditure cuts, while a strong belief in a jurisdiction's crisis preparedness often resulted in such cuts to manage budget shortfalls. Revenue enhancement strategies were preferred by governments engaging communities in response efforts. The study also underscores the efficacy of professional governments, particularly council–manager led ones, in implementing productivity gains over expenditure reductions. Although based in the USA, the findings offer global insights for managing resources during health crises, enhancing societal resilience, and providing a model for adaptable governance across diverse fiscal and socio-political contexts.

Paternalistic leadership, efficacy beliefs and followers' performance: testing a multilevel model

PurposeUsing a multilevel model, this study examined how paternalistic leadership behaviors, including authoritarianism, morality and benevolence, influence followers' performance.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 556 leader–follower dyads from 66 groups in a manufacturing firm in China was collected for analysis. Descriptive statistics and multi-level regression analyses were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe results indicated that group efficacy mediates the relationship between authoritarian leadership and followers' performance and that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between benevolent leadership and followers' performance. In addition, the positive relationship between self-efficacy and followers' performance is weaker when followers exhibit higher levels of group efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected in a manufacturing firm in China, it is difficult to generalize the results to other settings.Practical implicationsManagers should use their abilities and skills to interpret which paternalistic leadership styles their followers prefer, so as to improve their performance.Originality/valueThis study developed a multilevel model to examine the mediating processes of group efficacy and self-efficacy in the effect of PL behaviors, including authoritarianism, benevolence and morality, on followers' performance.

Beyond Green Packaging: Unveiling the Dynamics of Environmental Consciousness and Sustainable Consumption in Yogyakarta

Amid increasing concerns about plastic pollution and its negative impact on ecosystems, this research explores the relationship between environmental consciousness and the desire of urban consumers in Yogyakarta City to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a foundation, we aim to unveil the factors influencing consumer preferences toward sustainable packaging alternatives. Through a quantitative approach, this study involved 150 respondents who were selected purposively, with data analysis utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings indicate a significant relationship between environmental consciousness and positive consumer attitudes towards sustainable packaging, emphasizing the crucial role of environmental consciousness in driving preferences for eco-friendly options. However, consumer attitudes alone do not directly increase the willingness to purchase these products. Instead, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control emerge as the primary determinants, highlighting the strong influence of social pressure and personal efficacy beliefs on sustainable purchasing decisions. This study not only contributes to the theoretical discourse on consumer behavior in environmental sustainability but also offers practical insights for policymakers, businesses, and environmental campaigns in promoting a culture of sustainable consumption through effective communication strategies, policy interventions, and market-based solutions.

Professional learning communities and trust in colleagues as determinants of collective teacher efficacy in Malaysian primary schools: an SEM analysis

ABSTRACT Although identified as a critical contributing factor for students’ academic outcomes, collective teacher efficacy has received limited attention from researchers in Malaysia. This study analysed the role of professional learning communities and teachers’ trust in colleagues in strengthening collective efficacy beliefs among primary school teachers in Malaysia. A total of 307 teachers participated in this causal relationship study. Structural equation modelling analysis was done using SmartPLS4. Study results showed that professional learning communities directly affect collective teacher efficacy, and teachers’ trust in colleagues exerts a partial mediating effect. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Does a multi-component intervention including pictorial risk communication about subclinical atherosclerosis improve perceptions of cardiovascular disease risk without deteriorating efficacy beliefs?

BackgroundPictorial communication about subclinical atherosclerosis can improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but whether it leads to long-term shifts in self-rated CVD risk (risk perception) and beliefs about possibility to influence personal risk (efficacy beliefs) is unknown. PurposeTo study the impact of personalized color-coded and age-related risk communication about atherosclerosis and motivational conversation, compared to traditional risk factor-based communication, on risk perception and efficacy beliefs. Also, whether risk perception increases with message severity. MethodThe effect of the pragmatic RCT Visualization of Asymptomatic Atherosclerotic Disease for Optimum Cardiovascular Prevention (VIPVIZA) was analyzed using a linear mixed effects model with risk perception and efficacy believes at 1-year and 3-year follow up as dependent variables. Participants’ (n = 3532) CVD risk perception and efficacy beliefs were assessed with visual analog scales (0–10). Fixed effects were group (intervention vs control), time point (1 year or 3 years) and interaction between group and time point. Further, the models were adjusted for corresponding baseline measurement of the dependent variable and a baseline × time point interaction. Effect of pictorial color-coded risk in the intervention group was investigated using a corresponding mixed effects model, but with pictorial risk group (message severity) as exposure instead of intervention group. ResultsAfter one year, the intervention group rated their CVD risk as higher (m = 0.46, 95% CI 0.32–0.59), with an effect also after 3 years (m = 0.57, 95% CI 0.43–0.70). The effect was consistent in stratified analyses by sex and education. Overall, no effect on efficacy beliefs was observed. In the intervention group, differences in CVD risk perception were found between participants with different color-coded risk messages on atherosclerosis status. ConclusionPersonalized, color-coded and age-related risk communication about atherosclerosis had an effect on risk perception with an effect also after 3 years, whereas overall, no effect on efficacy beliefs was observed.

Investigating Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs in Managing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Classroom

Investigating Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs in Managing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Classroom

Team Efficacy Profiles: Congruence Predicts Objective Performance of Athlete Pairs.

Efficacy beliefs targeting personal (self-efficacy), teammates' (other-efficacy), and conjoint (collective efficacy) abilities are each associated with performance of athlete pairs. The purpose of this study was to examine (a)congruence/incongruence of efficacy beliefs between athletes in a pair as a predictor of quality of individual and team performance and (b)quality of performance relative to efficacy congruence at high, moderate, and low levels of efficacy. Eighty-two cheerleading pairs, composed of one base and one flyer, completed questionnaires assessing self-, other, and collective efficacy prior to a national collegiate competition. Individual and team performances were assessed using objective criteria. Polynomial regression analyses indicated that team performance was predicted by congruence of (a)both athletes' collective efficacy beliefs and (b)base self-efficacy and flyer other efficacy. Findings supported that congruence at moderate to high levels of efficacy was associated with better performance relative to incongruent efficacy beliefs across the two athletes.

Australian grades 4 to 6 teachers’ beliefs and practices about teaching writing to low SES students

The current study examined writing beliefs and practices of 187 grades 4 to 6 teachers who taught writing in schools serving predominantly low SES students in Queensland, Australia. These participants completed a mailed survey that assessed their perceptions of preparation to teach writing to low SES students, time spent on writing instruction, frequency of writing instruction, students’ time spent on writing, efficacy beliefs for teaching writing, beliefs about these students’ cognitive attributes for successful writing, beliefs about the suitability of basic writing instruction for low SES students, frequency of teaching basic writing skills and frequency of teaching advanced writing skills. As predicted, these teachers did not feel that they were prepared adequately to teach writing to low SES students. Neither did they consider in-service support sufficient. These teachers spent limited time on teaching writing, with a majority (81 %) spending 1 or 2 h or less teaching writing each week. Most teachers held deficit beliefs about low SES students, considering them lacking cognitive and motivational attributes for successful writing. Most also considered basic writing instruction appropriate for low SES students. As expected, most teachers taught basic writing skills more often than advanced writing skills. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that teachers’ efficacy beliefs predicted frequency of teaching basic and advanced skills and moderated the effects of other teacher beliefs on how often basic writing skills were taught to low SES students.

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Latinos: A cross-sectional study.

Vaccination against COVID-19 can prevent severe illness and reduce hospitalizations and deaths. Understanding and addressing determinants contributing to vaccine uptake among high-risk groups, such as Latinos, are pivotal in ensuring equitable vaccine distribution, promoting health equity, and fostering community engagement to bridge the gap in vaccine acceptance and ultimately enhance public health. This study aimed to examine factors influencing vaccine uptake among Latinos. We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online platform (n = 242). The survey was administered using a multimodal approach. Strategies for recruitment included community outreach, social media, and targeting community networks serving Latinos. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariable analysis were performed. Overall, 81.4% of respondents had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 77.0% recommending it and 70.6% believing it to be safe, 66.7% believing in its efficacy, 62.3% able to find trustful information in Spanish or Portuguese, and almost 40% who relied on health organizations as their primary resource for COVID-19 vaccine information. Factors significantly associated with vaccine uptake included higher education level (p<0.001), English level (p = 0.023), living in an urban area (p = 0.048), having insurance (p<0.001), and having a healthcare provider (p = 0.007). Furthermore, belief in vaccine safety and efficacy, trust in public health authorities, concerns about COVID-19, the ability to determine true/false vaccine information during the pandemic, and the availability of trustworthy information in Spanish/Portuguese had statistically significant associations (p<0.05) with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine uptake differed based on sociodemographic and other modifiable factors. Our findings emphasize the importance of implementing targeted interventions and culturally sensitive communication strategies to improve vaccination uptake among the Latino community in the United States.

Wellness or medicine? Use and perception of Ayurveda in Germany: data from an online-representative cross-sectional study.

Ayurveda, South Asia's largest and most relevant system of Traditional Medicine, holds a legal status akin to conventional Western medicine in India and elsewhere. There is an almost complete lack of data on the use of Ayurveda in Germany. The aim of this study was to investigate Ayurveda's utilization patterns, entry points, and factors influencing its use and the perception of Ayurveda among the German population. Basis of this manuscript was an online-representative survey which involved 4,065 participants aged 18-75 about the use and acceptance of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in Germany. The survey was conducted online using Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) in 2022. The dataset was analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Altogether 9.3% (n = 377) of all survey participants (n = 4,065) had already used Ayurveda somehow, either more often (1.7%) or at least once in a lifetime (7.6%). Responders associated Ayurveda primarily with Indian Medicine (27.7%) and wellness (18%). Commonly used Ayurvedic services included non-medical treatments at wellness resorts/spas (48.3%), in outpatient practices (27.1%), and hotels (23.6%). 30.2% of the participants believe in Ayurveda's therapeutic potential. 76.7% of Ayurveda users find healthy nutrition important or very important. Nine predictors were found to classify Ayurveda users vs. non-users with spirituality and belief in Ayurveda's therapeutic efficacy as the most relevant ones. Ayurveda seems to be primarily used by well-educated and female individuals, often from higher-income groups and with a rather modern social milieu-orientation. Study results suggest that about every tenth German citizen has used Ayurveda in the past and about one third believes in its therapeutic potential. Because Ayurvedic therapies are often not evidence-based, there is an urgent need to perform high quality randomized controlled trials to investigate potential effects and safety of Ayurveda and how evidence-based Ayurveda treatments can be integrated into the German healthcare system.

The impact of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor on cystic fibrosis health-related quality of life and decision-making about daily treatment regimens: a mixed methods exploratory study.

Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) has reduced many symptoms of cystic fibrosis (CF). We sought to identify the impact of ETI on both symptoms and treatment decisions among adults with CF. Participants were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Surveys were sent via a RedCap link. Semistructured interviews were administered remotely via Microsoft Teams. Interviews were audio recorded and professionally transcribed. We assessed Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) subscales for physical, respiratory, emotion, and treatment, and analyzed semistructured interviews covering CF treatment regimens and daily living. Quantitative and qualitative results were analyzed separately and via a mixed-methods convergence coding matrix. Twenty-four adults with CF taking ETI were included. CFQ-R subscale scores (mean scores/standard deviation) were physical (82.1/22.8), respiratory (83.7/11.2), emotion (65.3/14.2), and treatment (57.5/20.1). Three themes about decision-making for non-ETI-treatments emerged: (1) How I'm feeling, (2) Not noticing a difference, and (3) Uncertainty about long-term impact of modifying treatment regimens, and we found participants weighed each of these factors in their treatment decisions. Key findings from mixed-methods analysis show that among individuals experiencing higher CFQ-R scores for physical and respiratory compared to emotion and treatment, there were statements indicating that while those participants were experiencing better physical health, many continued their burdensome treatment regimens. With little long-term data on the impact of reducing non-ETI treatments, participants weighed how they were feeling, treatment efficacy beliefs, and risk tolerance when making treatment decisions.

Examining the effects of creative drama onteacher efficacy belief, critical thinking disposition, emphatic tendency and reflective thinking tendency

Examining the effects of creative drama onteacher efficacy belief, critical thinking disposition, emphatic tendency and reflective thinking tendency