Relations between informational sources,self-efficacy and academic achievement: a developmental approach

As a cognitive-motivational construct, self-efficacy has been researched extensively and has involved two important lines of inquiries, namely the impact of sources of information on self-efficacy and the predictive effect of self-efficacy on learning outcomes. We proposed and tested the relations between the four major sources of information (enactive performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and emotional and physiological states), self-efficacy and academic achievement for mathematics and science within one conceptual model. Our model was tested with the conjunctive use of longitudinal data and latent growth curve modelling (LGM) procedures. Two hundred and fifty-two (110 girls, 142 boys) upper elementary school children from three government schools participated in this longitudinal study. Likert-scale inventories were administered over four occasions within a one-year period. We measured the four sources of information at T ₁, whereas self-efficacy for mathematics and science was measured at T ₂–T ₄, and academic achievement was measured at T ₄ only. SPSS AMOS v18 was used to test a number of a priori multivariate growth curve models. LGM analyses provided moderate evidence in support of our conceptual model, noting different patterns of trajectories for both mathematics and science.     

Learner self-efficacy,goal orientation,and academic achievement: exploring mediating and moderating relationships

ABSTRACT

Within the context of Pintrich’s self-regulated learning model, recent reviews of the literature show that motivational factors are the strongest predictors of academic performance. Even so, gaps remain in terms of which goal orientation constructs area most strongly related to performance, and whether academic self-efficacy is involved in such relationships, either as mediator or moderator. This study addresses these gaps using a sample of 478 university students; 409 females aged 17–62 (M?=?23.28, SD?=?7.22) and 69 males, aged 18–47 (M?=?22.5, SD?=?6.31). Analyses revealed that academic self-efficacy (ASE) mediated relationships between both mastery and performance-approach goal orientation with achievement, though the mediation effect was larger for the relationship involving mastery approach goal orientation. ASE did not moderate the relationship between performance-approach goal orientation and achievement. Findings suggest teaching programmes should foster learning environments that encourage persistence and effort when learning, and consider how course delivery and feedback can enhance academic self-efficacy, regardless of the goal orientation adopted by students.     

Adolescents' help seeking in mathematics classrooms: Relations between achievement and perceived classroom environmental influences over one school year

We examined the relation between self reported help-seeking tendencies and standardized mathematics achievement as well as the contribution of shared perceptions of the classroom climate – achievement goal structure and emotional support – to the types of help (instrumental, expedient) middle and high school U.S. students seek and from whom (teacher and peers) over the school year. Hierarchical linear modeling (N = 3897 students grades 7–11 in 306 classrooms) revealed that the more students reported seeking help from their teacher and seeking instrumental help, the greater their over-the-year gains in standardized achievement. In general, shared perceptions of the classroom climate predicted changes in students' reported help seeking from the beginning of the school year (T1) to the end (T2). Students in classrooms collectively perceived to be more mastery-oriented at T1 predicted increases in instrumental help seeking and seeking help from peers at T2. Perceived T1 emotional support predicted increases in seeking help from teachers and peers at T2. By contrast, perceived T1 performance-approach goal structure predicted decreases in reported help seeking from teachers at T2 and positively predicted expedient help seeking at T2. Furthermore: (a) adolescent females reported seeking more instrumental help and seeking more help from peers and teachers, whereas, adolescent males reported seeking more expedient help; and (b) high school students sought more instrumental help than did middle school students. We discuss results with regard to the importance of help seeking to mathematics achievement as well as considering emotional support and classroom achievement goals together when examining students' help-seeking behaviors.     

The contribution of school-related parental monitoring,self-determination,and self-efficacy to academic achievement

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of school-related parental monitoring (SR-PM), self-determined motivation, and academic self-efficacy to academic achievement across time. The authors hypothesized that SR-PM would affect academic achievement indirectly via its effects on self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy beliefs. The participants were 501 adolescents (220 boys; 281 girls) in Grades 6 and 9 as well as their mothers and fathers. We carried out a 2-year, multi-informant study in which the authors assessed SR-PM (maternal and paternal reports), self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy (self-report), and academic achievement (school records). The authors used structural equation model analysis to test the hypotheses. The analysis shows that SR-PM was positively associated with self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy and that self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy affected academic achievement. Furthermore, analyses of indirect effects showed that SR-PM influences academic achievement via its effects on self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy.     

Testing interest and self-efficacy as predictors of academic self-regulation and achievement

We examined whether individual interest, as an affective motivational variable, could predict academic self-regulation and achievement, above and beyond what academic self-efficacy predicted. We tested the relationships between academic self-efficacy, individual interest, grade goals, self-regulation, and achievement of Korean middle school students (N = 500) in four different subject areas. Consistent with previous findings, self-efficacy predicted achievement both directly and indirectly via grade goals. Self-efficacy also predicted self-regulation, but only when grade goals mediated the relationship. Supporting our hypothesis, individual interest functioned as a correlated yet independent and direct predictor of self-regulation. It also predicted achievement, but only when self-regulation mediated the relationship. We thus suggest that academic self-regulation could be encouraged through the promotion of two distinct motivational sources, academic self-efficacy and individual interest. We further suggest that the pathways linking individual interest to academic self-regulation and achievement may differ from those linking academic self-efficacy to the same variables.     

Examining interactive whiteboard-based instruction on the academic self-efficacy,academic press and achievement of college students*

Abstract

The study reported here examined college students’ academic self-efficacy, ‘academic press’ and learning achievement, as well as the association between these three variables within learning contexts using interactive whiteboard-based instruction. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a sample (n = 103) of first-year college students in China. Participants were taught English by either an interactive whiteboard-based or traditional lecture-based instructional approach for three months. The results showed that the interactive whiteboard-based instructional intervention cultivated higher levels of academic press and academic self-efficacy among students and a significant, positive correlation was identified between these two variables. Students’ learning achievement was not affected by the instructional intervention. These results indicate that interactive whiteboard-based instruction offers some distinct benefits. In future work, additional research is needed to clarify how the instructional model relates to understanding learning achievement.     

Metacognition, achievement goals, study strategies and academic achievement: pathways to achievement

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a model of effective self-regulated learning. Based on effort expenditure we discerned effective self-regulators and less effective self-regulators. The model comprised achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach and -avoidance goals), metacognition (metacognitive knowledge, regulation and experience), study strategies (metacognitive, deep cognitive, surface cognitive and resource management strategies) and academic achievement. The relationships in the model were tested with controlling for intellectual ability, gender and age. The results showed that effective self-regulated learning involved two pathways: a metacognitive and a strategy pathway. The first pathway involved a positive relationship of mastery goals and a negative relationship of performance-avoidance goals with metacognition. Metacognition positively affected the use of the four study strategies. The strategy pathway involved positive effects of mastery and performance-approach goals on the use of metacognitive and deep cognitive strategies. Further, performance-approach goals positively affected the use of surface cognitive and resource management strategies. The use of metacognitive and resource management strategies had a positive and the use of surface cognitive strategies had a negative effect on exam scores.     

Homework practices and academic achievement: The mediating role of self-efficacy and perceived responsibility beliefs

The present study investigated the role of students’ homework practices in their self-efficacy beliefs regarding their use of specific learning processes (e.g., organizing, memorizing, concentrating, monitoring, etc.), perceptions of academic responsibility, and academic achievement. One hundred and seventy-nine girls from multi-ethnic, mixed socioeconomic status families residing in a major metropolitan area of the United States were studied in a parochial school that emphasized homework in the curriculum with more than 3 h of work assigned daily. Path analyses showed significant paths (a) from homework experiences to the girls’ self-efficacy for learning beliefs and their perception of student responsibility for academic outcomes, and (b) from these two academic beliefs to the girls’ academic grade point average at the end of the school term. The implications of these findings for future research and school policy will be discussed.     

Correction to: The role of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning,achievement goals,and engagement in academic cheating

European Journal of Psychology of Education - This study examined the relationships between motivational beliefs, defined as self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and achievement goals,...     

Future time orientation and learning conceptions: effects on metacognitive strategies,self-efficacy beliefs,study effort and academic achievement

During the past decade, research on the constructive learning process has been conducted mainly from two perspectives: student approaches to learning (SAL) and self-regulated learning (SRL). The SAL perspective has highlighted the role of learning conceptions with respect to other topics involved in constructive learning processes, whereas recently the SAL perspective has emphasised the effects of the future time perspective (FTP) and self-efficacy beliefs about these topics. Based on these two lines of research (SRL and SAL), using path analysis, we explored the direct and indirect effects of FTP and learning conceptions on self-efficacy, metacognitive strategies, effort and academic performance. Likewise, we identified some patterns that combine specific factors related to these variables. Participants in the present study were 100 (84% females, 16% males) Spanish fourth year university students enrolled in the Social Sciences Degree Programme. The ages of the students ranged from 18 to 49 (M = 22.02; SD = 3.68) and their participation was voluntary and anonymous. Likert-scale inventories were used to obtain data from students: FTP; learning conceptions; metacognitive strategies scale; and self-efficacy beliefs for SAL. On the one hand, the path analysis showed interesting indirect and direct relationships between topics with regard to key constructs of each of these research perspectives (SRL/SAL). However, these results do not coincide with the body of knowledge about FTP. On the other hand, results obtained using cluster and discriminant analysis revealed three specific patterns: a meaning orientation to learning and the future, a reproductive orientation to learning and the present, and an unusual pattern explained by the influence of historical-cultural characteristics on learning practices in educational contexts. We consider that this last pattern presents relevant implications for educational practice.     

A path analysis of basic need support,self-efficacy,achievement goals,life satisfaction and academic achievement level among secondary school students

Teachers’ support of basic psychological needs, self-efficacy, achievement goals, life satisfaction and academic achievement level was measured in a sample of 240 secondary school students (8th and 10th grades). Correlation analysis showed significant positive relations between all of the variables, except for the relation between need support of competence and performance goals. A subsequent path analysis showed that these variables could be accounted for by a structural model that described basic need support as predictors of self-efficacy and achievement goals, which in turn predicted academic achievement level and perceived life satisfaction. Analysis of intra-class correlation and design effect showed that need support of relatedness also was accounted for by class level responses. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of the importance of basic need support as a predictor of personal motives in educational settings as well as the students adjustment to school and life.     

Academic commitment and self-efficacy as predictors of academic achievement in additional materials science

A great deal of research within science and engineering education revolves around academic success and retention of science and engineering students. It is well known that South Africa is experiencing, for various reasons, an acute shortage of engineers. Therefore, we think it is important to understand the factors that contribute to attrition rates in university students, and engineering students in particular. The theoretical framework for the present study draws on self-regulation theory, with particular reference to the role of self-efficacy and academic commitment. Participants comprised 127 engineering students in the second year of an augmented programme. They completed the Academic Commitment Scale and the Materials Science Self-efficacy Scale. Statistical analysis included correlation and regression analysis to test the hypothesis that self-efficacy and academic commitment would predict the semester mark. Our results indicated that the self-efficacy and meaningfulness of materials science are significant predictors of investment, and that investment predicts the final semester mark. We discuss the results in terms of debates about throughput and retention for engineering students and also implications for teaching and learning.     

Cultural influences on the relation between executive functions and academic achievement

Reading and Writing - The purpose of this study was to examine which of the components of executive functions (EF)—inhibition, shifting, and working memory—predict reading and...     

Effects of learning approaches,locus of control,socio-economic status and self-efficacy on academic achievement: a Turkish perspective

In this study the effects of learning approaches, locus of control (LOC), socio-economic status and self-efficacy on undergraduate students in North Cyprus was investigated. Four questionnaires were administered on 99 students in order to collect data regarding the learning approaches, LOC, self-efficacy and demographic factors. High cumulative grade point average and self-efficacy were shown to be an indicator of academic achievement and high self-efficacy was related to the use of deep approach (DA). Students, whose mothers had lower levels of education, were found to also predict academic success. No direct significant relationship between DA and academic achievement was found.     

The role of personality traits and online academic self-efficacy in acceptance,actual use and achievement in Moodle

Education and Information Technologies - Informed by the educational conditions shaped by the novel coronavirus pandemic and an increased reliance upon online learning solutions and technologies,...     

Informational sources,self-efficacy and achievement: a temporally displaced approach

Personal self-efficacy is an important theoretical orientation that helps to explain students’ learning and academic achievements. One area of research inquiry has involved the four major sources of information and their predictive effects on self-efficacy. As an extension for examination, the purpose of our investigation was to explore the interrelations between antecedents (e.g. enactive performance accomplishment), self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement of elementary school students. Our research conceptualisation, unlike previous cross-sectional studies, entails a time displacement between sources of information (Time 1) and self-efficacy (Time 2 and Time 3) and between self-efficacy and academic achievement in science learning (Time 4). Three hundred and thirty-two (152 girls and 180 boys) third and fourth grade students from three government schools participated in this study. Likert-scale inventories were used to measure informational sources and self-efficacy beliefs. Structural equation modelling yielded evidence that supports, in part, our conceptual model. Only enactive performance accomplishment and vicarious experience exerted positive temporally displaced effects on self-efficacy. Self-efficacy at both Time 2 and Time 3 also contributed to the prediction of academic achievement.     

Academic self-concept,autonomous academic motivation,and academic achievement: Mediating and additive effects

Three conceptual models were tested to examine the relationships among academic self-concept, autonomous academic motivation, and academic achievement. This allowed us to determine whether 1) autonomous academic motivation mediates the relation between academic self-concept and achievement, 2) academic self-concept mediates the relation between autonomous academic motivation and achievement, or 3) both motivational constructs have an additive effect on academic achievement. A total of 925 high school students (404 boys and 521 girls) were asked to complete a questionnaire on two occasions separated by a year interval. Results from SEM analyses provided good support for the hypothesized model positing that autonomous academic motivation mediates the academic self-concept–academic achievement relation. Results are discussed in light of self-determination theory and self-concept theory.     

The effects of self-efficacy,hope, and engagement on the academic achievement of secondary education in the Dominican Republic

Achievement in the academic settings has long lasting positive outcomes. In this study, hope, self-efficacy, and engagement are linked to academic success. The aims of this study were to test a model which predicts academic success in the Dominican Republic while testing for the mediator role of engagement. The sample was composed of 614 middle-school students. Scales of Dispositional Hope, Academic Self-Efficacy, Academic Self-concept, and Engagement were used. Academic performance was measured with students' grades in Spanish and Mathematics. Three structural equation models were tested. The retained model stated hope and self-efficacy as antecedents, engagement dimensions as mediators and grades and academic self-concept as final outcomes. There were significant effects of hope and self-efficacy on engagement, and behavioral engagement was the best predictor of academic success. These results point out that interventions should target variables, such as hope or engagement to increase academic success.