What Is Self-Efficacy & Why Does It Matter?

What Is Self-Efficacy?

The concept of self-efficacy lies at the center of psychologist Albert Bandura’s theory on learning and social experience.  According to Bandura, self-efficacy is “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel (1994).

Since Bandura published his seminal 1977 paper, the subject has become one of the most studied topics in psychology. Why has self-efficacy become such a “hot topic” among psychologists and educators? As Bandura and other have demonstrated, self-efficacy impacts  everything from attitudes, motivation, business, and academic success.

The Role of Self-Efficacy

Virtually, all people can identify goals they want to accomplish; things they would like to change; and things they would like to achieve. However, most people also realize that putting these plans into action is not quite so simple. An individual’s self-efficacy effects how he or she sees goals, tasks, and challenges.

	People with a strong sense of self-efficacy	People with a weak sense of self-efficacy
When facing challenges…	View challenging problems as tasks to be mastered	Avoid challenging tasks
When encountering setbacks….	Recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments	Over-focus on personal failings and negative outcomes
When assessing own capabilities…	Believe that difficult tasks and situations are within their capabilities	Believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities
Example: After receiving a low Math test score…	“I am sure I can do better next time.” “If I focus more, I won’t make as much mistakes.” “How can I score higher next time?” “ I just don’t understand Math.” “ I have never been good at Math.” “ I need to drop this class.”	“ I just don’t understand Math.” “ I have never been good at Math.” “ I need to drop this class.”

Is Self-Efficacy “fixed” like our DNA?

The short answer is NO. While self-efficacy begins to form in early childhood, the growth of self-efficacy continues to evolve throughout life as people acquire new skills, experiences, and understanding.  During the high school and university years, self-efficacy plays a particularly important role since learners face a number of new challenges, especially in the classroom. Self-efficacy is a key factor in academic success and resilience:  Students who believe they can succeed are more likely to bounce back and try again after facing a setback. As such, it is important for students to understand the effect of self-efficacy and for educators and parents to encourage self-efficacious beliefs in learners.

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_{References: Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
Bandura, A. (1992) Exercise of personal agency through the self-efficacy mechanisms. In R. Schwarzer (Ed.), Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior,4. New York: Academic Press, pp. 71-81.
Bandura, A. (1995). Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge University Press.}

 

Five Minds for the Future (Book review)

The name Howard Gardner requires no introduction – inside of field of education and psychology – that is. He is a Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and  best known for his theory of multiple intelligences.

Published by Harvard Business Press Books in 2009, Howard Gardner Five Minds For the Future presents another tasty dish for us to chew on . (Sorry, I don’t have a better analogy except food – I am currently hungry.) Gardner concerns himself with the kinds of minds that people  to thrive in the world during the eras to come. In the inter-connected world in which we now live, Gardner believes in the need to identify the kinds of minds that should be developed in the future for the greater good of our society as a whole.

I like the book because it show humility. Gardner wants readers to know right up front that despite decades of thinking and researching — he doesn’t have a crystal ball when it comes to predicting the kind of minds we will need in the future. But in order to thrive as managers and leaders and citizens, especially in a world where people and places are super-connected, he writes that there are five minds he thinks we should have:

1. The Disciplined Mind–mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history) and of at least one professional craft;
2. The Synthesizing Mind – ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others
3. The Creating Mind-capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions, and phenomena
4. The Respectful Mind–awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups
5. The Ethical Mind-fulfillment of one’s responsibilities as a worker and citizen.