SELF-EFFICACY: CONCEPT AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN EDUCATION (original) (raw)

This paper clarifies the concept of self-efficacy, its dimensions and usefulness in the educational context. The concept of self-efficacy stems from Bandura's social cognitive theory of learning and it is related to personal factors in learning. Self-efficacy is defined as a person's belief about being able to do or reach an aim successfully during a certain task. This leads to differences among students regarding how they feel, think and act. Those with a high level of self-efficacy choose high-level tasks, setting higher aims for themselves. They also explore their environment and search for new possibilities. According to Bandura, there are two types of people and learners: efficacious and inefficacious. The former are those who take every chance and opportunity, whereas the latter do not always take an opportunity or go over limitations. Educational institutions are places where the teaching staff needs to foster students' development of self-beliefs and self-regulatory capabilities, so that they would be able to continue educating themselves throughout their lives. According to Zimmerman, the efficacy beliefs have been studied in relation to students' persistence and academic success. Students with strong beliefs in their ability show greater persistence and achieve high grades. The implications of this theory are of great importance for mastering any skill, since an individual who does not believe in his/her success can easily become susceptible to negative self-fulfilling prophecies. Teachers also have a role in encouraging students' self-efficacy beliefs and increasing their level of motivation for learning, which positively affects the learning outcomes.