Trajectories Of Self-efficacy Research Articles

Self-Efficacy About Sexual Risk/Protective Behaviors: Intervention Impact Trajectories Among American Indian Youth.

For adolescents, normative development encompasses learning to negotiate challenges of sexual situations; of special importance are skills to prevent early pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Disparities in sexual risk among American Indian youth point to the importance of intervening to attenuate this risk. This study explored the impact of Circle of Life (COL), an HIV prevention intervention based on social cognitive theory, on trajectories of self-efficacy (refusing sex, avoiding sexual situations) among 635 students from 13 middle schools on one American Indian reservation. COL countered a normative decline of refusal self-efficacy among girls receiving the intervention by age 13, while girls participating at age 14 or older, girls in the comparison group, and all boys showed continuing declines.

Trajectories of self-efficacy in persons with chronic illness: An explorative longitudinal study

Background: Self-efficacy is important for changing health behaviour in persons with chronic illness. Longer term trajectories have not been previously explored.Objective: This study’s objective was to explore the trajectories of self-efficacy in two different groups with chronic illnesses attending a patient education course.Design: The study design was a longitudinal, comparative cohort study with five time points during a one-year follow-up, using repeated measures analysis of variance.Setting and participants: Persons with morbid obesity (n = 55) and persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n = 56) were recruited at the start of patient education courses in Norway and followed-up four times the following year.Main outcome measure: The General Self-Efficacy Scale was the main outcome.Results: Obese persons showed a linear pattern of increasing self-efficacy during the follow-up period, whereas persons with COPD had an initial increase followed by a decrease in self-efficacy. Having paid work was associated with a more positive self-efficacy trajectory.Conclusion: The results provide support for the currently employed patient education course for morbidly obese persons. In contrast, persons with COPD may need more extensive and/or more frequent support in order to increase and maintain self-efficacy across time.

Trajectories of Self-efficacy and Achievement Goals: A Developmental Approach

An emerging interest in cognition and motivation has recently involved the study of rate of change ofself-efficacy and achievement goals. We used latent growth modeling (LGM) to test a structural equation modelthat involved prior academic grades, self-efficacy, mastery and performance-approach goals, and academicachievement measured over a two-year period. A sample of 228 (106 females, 122 males) of second-yearstudents enrolled in mathematic participated in this study. Multivariate growth curve analyses indicatedstatistically significant effects of prior academic achievement on the intercept factors of the three mentionedconstructs; prior academic achievement also exerted a negative effect on the slope factor of mastery goals, and apositive effect on mathematic achievement. Examination of the three trajectories showed increases in change inall three constructs. Evidence ascertained from this research investigation is informative in instructional policiesand applied teaching practices.

Plans Not Needed if You Have High and Stable Self-Efficacy: Planning Intervention and Snack Intake in the Context of Self-Efficacy Trajectories

Plans Not Needed if You Have High and Stable Self-Efficacy: Planning Intervention and Snack Intake in the Context of Self-Efficacy Trajectories Forming action plans is expected to move people from intention to action. We hypothesized that the effects of planning interventions may depend on changes in self-efficacy beliefs. Participants (182 nurses and midwifes, 89% women, aged 19-50) were assigned to the control or the planning intervention (three planning sessions) groups and reported their self-efficacy, sweet and salty snack intake at the baseline and four months later. The results suggest that an increase of efficacy beliefs over time augmented the effects of the planning intervention and resulted in the lowest snack intake (the enhancing effect of self-efficacy). Planning intervention also prompted lower unhealthy snacking if efficacy beliefs were decreasing (the protective effect of planning). Those who have stable-high self-efficacy were able to achieve low snack intake regardless of the group assignment (the buffering effect of self-efficacy).

Trajectories of science self-efficacy beliefs during the college transition and academic and vocational adjustment in science and technology programs

The present study strove to better understand the associations between the development of late adolescents' self-efficacy beliefs toward science, and vocational and academic adjustment (i.e., career decidedness, scientific interests, science achievement, and persistence in science), while considering the potential moderating role of gender. Participants were 411 late adolescents, all admitted in a science-related field in college. Notable developmental heterogeneity in science self-efficacy beliefs was found across the transition to college with 50% of students reporting high stable self-efficacy beliefs, 20% of students experiencing an increase in self-efficacy beliefs, and 30% a decrease. Girls enrolled in technological programs (biology and physics) were more likely than boys to experience increasing self-efficacy beliefs toward science. Overall, students with high stable or increasing self-efficacy trajectories reported the most positive academic and vocational outcomes. Evidence for a gender moderating effect was found for career decidedness, where experiencing increasing and high stable self-efficacy beliefs toward science was associated with a gradual clarification of one's vocational choice for girls but not for boys.