Self-Efficacy Theory

DOMAINS: Education, Health, Physical Activity, ...

Contributors: S. Chauncey

DEVELOPERS

Albert Bandura

Excerpt... By the year 2006, more than 4,000 articles included the concept of self-efficacy. In a typical Internet search, the term generated over two million Web pages. Self-efficacy has been the focus of research in areas as diverse as business, athletics, medicine and health, media studies, social and political change, moral development, psychology, psychiatry, psycho-pathology, and international affairs. It has been especially prominent in educational research, where scholars have reported that, regardless of previous achievement or ability, self-efficacious students work harder, persist longer, persevere in the face of adversity, have greater optimism and lower anxiety, and achieve more.

BACKGROUND

"The construct of self-efficacy has a relatively brief history that began with Bandura's publication of "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change." (Pajaras, 1996: p. 545)

Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives. Self-efficacy beliefs determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave. Such beliefs produce these diverse effects through four major processes. They include cognitive, motivational, affective and selection processes. (Bandura, A., 1994)

A strong sense of efficacy enhances human accomplishment and personal well-being in many ways. People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided. Such an efficacious outlook fosters intrinsic interest and deep engrossment in activities. They set themselves challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them. They heighten and sustain their efforts in the face of failure. They quickly recover their sense of efficacy after failures or setbacks. They attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are acquirable. They approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them. Such an efficacious outlook produces personal accomplishments, reduces stress and lowers vulnerability to depression. (Bandura, A., 1994)

In contrast, people who doubt their capabilities shy away from difficult tasks which they view as personal threats. They have low aspirations and weak commitment to the goals they choose to pursue. When faced with difficult tasks, they dwell on their personal deficiencies, on the obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse outcomes rather than concentrate on how to perform successfully. They slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties. They are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or setbacks. Because they view insufficient performance as deficient aptitude it does not require much failure for them to lose faith in their capabilities. They fall easy victim to stress and depression. (Bandura, A., 1994)

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REFERENCES ~ Coding Spreadsheet - Web View

Libraries & Research

* Maier, S R, & Curtin, P A. (2005). Self-efficacy theory: A prescriptive model for teaching research methods. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 59(4), 352-64.
* Ramayah, T, & Aafaqi, B. (2004). Role of self-efficacy in e-library usage among students of a public university in malaysia. Malaysian journal of library & information science, 9(1), 39-57.
* Ren, W. (2000). Library instruction and college student self-efficacy in electronic information searching. Journal of academic librarianship, 26(5), 323-8.

General

Get copy of: Bandura's 1982 article "The Psychology of Chance Encounters and Life Paths,"

Alexander, P, & Zimmerman, B. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 82.
Professor Bandura Emory University Links:
- Information on Self-Efficacy and Social-Cognitive Theory
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- by Albert Bandura from Social Foundations of Thought and Action. http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/effpassages.html
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