Sources Of Self-efficacy Information Research Articles

Development of the Self-efficacy Beliefs of Engineering Undergraduates Preparing for an International Contest

This study was designed to understand the everyday experiences influencing the self-efficacy of a group of engineering students preparing for the TECO Green Tech International Contest. It also aimed to understand whether participants’ self-efficacy levels fluctuated under the influences of these experiences. The paper takes a qualitative approach using focus group discussion, journaling, and one-to-one interviews as data gathering tools. Our study confirms previous theoretical assumptions and empirical findings that four sources of self-efficacy information are related to self-efficacy beliefs. In addition, the study also supports the role of collective efficacy and context in influencing engineering students’ self-efficacy. During the first two weeks of the contest preparation period, participating students experienced a low sense of self-efficacy under the influence of perceived lack of knowledge and skills, contest pressure, doubt of team ability, and negative feelings. A couple of weeks prior to the contest, as the students draw inspiration from a growth in knowledge and skills, verbal feedback, and positive feelings, their self-efficacy was enhanced. Comparison with team members and trust in the advisor’s credibility also strengthened their sense of self-efficacy. This research has the potential to inform the development of engineering undergraduates’ contest self-efficacy.

Better together: Effects of four self-efficacy-building strategies on online statistical learning

The goal of this study is to test the individual and combined effects of supplementing an online statistics lesson with four motivational strategies corresponding to Bandura’s (1997) four sources of self-efficacy (anxiety coping, modeling, mental practice, and effort feedback) on cognitive, motivational, and affective outcomes. Internet participants (N = 279) completed an online statistics module in one of six conditions with one or all four self-efficacy-building strategies (5 treatment conditions) or none of these strategies (control condition). The results indicated that the four strategies worked effectively in combination, significantly improving transfer test scores (d = 0.608), increasing self-efficacy ratings (d = 0.696), and reducing task anxiety ratings (d = −0.534), as compared with the control condition. By contrast, no motivational strategy alone was effective. The results suggest the importance of taking advantage of the power of all four sources of self-efficacy information in combination when designing motivational interventions for online mathematical lessons.

Sources of teachers’ self-efficacy for technology integration from formal, informal, and independent professional learning

Teachers do not consistently maximize the potential of classroom technologies for enhancing student learning. As their self-efficacy is positively associated with technology integration, developing teachers’ self-efficacy could increase high-quality integration. We investigate how a holistic system of professional learning about technology integration including formal, informal, and independent professional learning might allow for access to and prompt reflection on self-efficacy source information. We interviewed six middle school math and science teachers from two schools where leadership teams participated in a leadership development program aiming to ultimately support teachers’ technology integration. To gather the teachers’ perspectives, we asked them to reflect on and explain visual displays of their reported confidence in technologies and frequency of professional learning. Through core assertions, we suggest a holistic system of learning supports teachers’ access to three sources of self-efficacy information (verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, and mastery experiences) and prompts teachers’ reflection on source information such that it can impact their self-efficacy. We make recommendations for leaders to operate on these findings, as leaders are responsible for fostering the conditions necessary for teachers’ effective technology integration, as well as recommendations for future research to increase the generalizability and depth of understanding.

Adding Self-Efficacy Features to an Online Statistics Lesson

This study investigated the effectiveness of adding four self-efficacy features to an online statistics lesson, based on Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy information. In a randomized between...

Enhancing self-efficacy through a blended training: A pilot study with basketball players

In the last decade, research has shown that web-based technology can be effectively employed to support interventions aimed at the empowerment of psychological skills such as self-efficacy. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of an innovative blended training program combining face to face and web-based activities in enhancing self-efficacy and emotion regulation among young basketball players. The training program lasted seven weeks and was based on the four sources of self-efficacy information identified by Bandura. In a two-group pre-test and a post-test design, 37 basketball players received either a web-based or a control text-based training program. The results indicated that the athletes receiving the web-based interactive training reported higher levels of self-efficacy compared to the baseline assessment, while no significant differences emerged in the control group. Concerning emotion regulation, both groups reported less emotional suppression at the end of the training, while no significances emerged for cognitive reappraisal. However, cognitive reappraisal was associated with self-efficacy as measured before and after the intervention. These findings seem to suggest that blended training programs may be a promising approach to promote self-efficacy in sport.

The Combined Effects of Classroom Teaching and Learning Strategy Use on Students’ Chemistry Self-Efficacy

For students to be successful in school chemistry, a strong sense of self-efficacy is essential. Chemistry self-efficacy can be defined as students’ beliefs about the extent to which they are capable of performing specific chemistry tasks. According to Bandura (Psychol. Rev. 84:191–215, 1977), students acquire information about their level of self-efficacy from four sources: performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. No published studies have investigated how instructional strategies in chemistry lessons can provide students with positive experiences with these four sources of self-efficacy information and how the instructional strategies promote students’ chemistry self-efficacy. In this study, questionnaire items were constructed to measure student perceptions about instructional strategies, termed efficacy-enhancing teaching, which can provide positive experiences with the four sources of self-efficacy information. Structural equation modeling was then applied to test a hypothesized mediation model, positing that efficacy-enhancing teaching positively affects students’ chemistry self-efficacy through their use of deep learning strategies such as metacognitive control strategies. A total of 590 chemistry students at nine secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in the survey. The mediation model provided a good fit to the student data. Efficacy-enhancing teaching had a direct effect on students’ chemistry self-efficacy. Efficacy-enhancing teaching also directly affected students’ use of deep learning strategies, which in turn affected students’ chemistry self-efficacy. The implications of these findings for developing secondary school students’ chemistry self-efficacy are discussed.

The Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Information Seeking Behavior of Library and Information Science Students

This study investigated the self-efficacy perceptions of Israeli library and information science students regarding their information seeking behavior. That is, it examined the judgments that participants make of their searching abilities. The study was based on Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy information: past performance or mastery experiences, vicarious experiences of observing the experiences of others, social feedback and affective states. An online survey presenting the Information Seeking Self-Perception Scale (IRSPS) was distributed and 205 students completed the questionnaire anonymously. Findings show that participants reported a high level of self-efficacy and that three of the four sources of self-efficacy information were significant in constructing their self-efficacy beliefs. Correlations between self-efficacy percepts and several socio-demographic variables revealed no gender-based differences. A significant correlation was found between age and degree and the sources with more influence. Older postgraduate students reported being more impacted by their mastery experiences, their affective states and social feedback. The implementation of the Information Seeking Self-Perception Scale (IRSPS) can be valuable when designing and implementing LIS academic programs for different groups of students.

Using Hypnosis to Enhance Self-Efficacy in Sport Performers

High levels of self-efficacy have been documented to be associated with optimal levels of sport performance. One technique, which has the potential to foster increased self-efficacy, is hypnosis. Hypnosis is based upon the power of suggestion and, while often shrouded in myth and controversy, has been used in a number of domains including medicine, dentistry, and psychotherapy. In contrast, sport psychology is one domain where the use of hypnosis has yet to be fully explored. The aim of this review is to add to the extant literature and delineate how hypnosis potentially can enhance self-efficacy. By drawing on neodissociation and nonstate theories of hypnosis, a combined theoretical basis is established to explain how hypnosis may be used to influence sport performers’ sources of self-efficacy information. Furthermore, the review examines these theoretical postulations by presenting contemporary research evidence exploring the effects of hypnosis on sport performers’ self-efficacy. The review concludes with future research directions and suggestions for sport psychologists considering the use of hypnosis within their practice.

Evidence-Based Practice to Assist Women in Hospital Settings to Quit Smoking and Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Smoking and obesity are widely recognized cardiovascular risk factors for significant morbidity and mortality in women. Although women still smoke less than men do, smoking among women is on the increase, especially in younger women and teenagers. Reduction of cardiovascular risk through smoking cessation while maintaining weight is a major goal of intervention. The purpose of this article is to discuss best care practices for women with tobacco addiction using a 3-point integration of clinical expertise, the best available evidence gained from systematic research, and an analysis of satisfaction with care data. A model for a smoking cessation intervention with weight management content is presented using a conceptual framework of social learning theory, self-efficacy judgments, and the 4 principal sources of self-efficacy information. The specific aims of this pilot study are to (1) test the feasibility of the study methods and procedures, including subject accrual, attrition, and reliability of the instruments and protocol; (2) explore utilization of and satisfaction with the intervention; and (3) describe the impact of the intervention on primary (smoking biomarker) and secondary (weight/body mass index, depression, partner support, and smoking cessation self-efficacy temptations) outcomes. Results show that the study is feasible, but modifications are needed to improve utilization and satisfaction with care. The primary outcome showed a reduction in the smoking biomarker while maintaining weight at the 2-month follow-up. There was also improvement in skills to manage temptation situations that supported the conceptual framework. Hypotheses are presented for a future experimental study.

The Career-Related Parent Support Scale

The authors describe the construction of the Career-Related Parent Support Scale and examine the validity of the scale scores within a sample of at-risk middle school adolescents. Four empirically distinct parent support factors were confirmed along A. Bandura's (1977, 1997) sources of self-efficacy information. Gender and ethnic differences in perceived access to parental support were found.

The little engine that could: Self-efficacy implications for quality training outcomes

While many firms realize the benefits of quality improvement, many others founder or fail in the attempt to implement quality improvement programmes. This paper presents and discusses the influence of self-efficacy, a construct that has consistently provided valuable insights in organizational research, on quality training success. We propose that applying self-efficacy to the quality improvement environment is an appropriate and promising area of research. We offer a series of propositions linking the types of self-efficacy information offered to the effectiveness of quality training programmes in organizations. We suggest that self-efficacy provides insights into why some quality training programmes work while others do not--tent may be same, but what matters is whether or not it is delivered via the most valuable sources of self-efficacy information. We conclude with a discussion of its applicability to the quality environment using an analogy and provide an agenda for future research.

Self-Efficacy and Athletic Performance: A Review

This paper reviews the findings of research applying self-efficacy theory to athletic performance. The review reveals that although self-efficacy expectancies have been shown to adequately predict sport performance, further research is needed to compare self-efficacy expectancies with other predictors of behavior to determine their relative predictive ability. In addition, physical self-efficacy expectancies can be heightened through a variety of means with subsequent enhancing effects on athletic performance. Although the most powerful source of information about physical self-efficacy appears to be performance accomplishments, more research is needed to compare the relative effectiveness of other sources of self-efficacy information. Methodological problems inherent in the studies, and limitations of employing the self-efficacy construct for sports research, are discussed.