Self-Efficacy
If you don’t believe you can do something, you’re less likely to attempt it and more likely to give up. That’s why self-efficacy – belief in your ability to complete specific tasks and reach goals – is a key ingredient of self-regulation, goal setting, and resiliency.
Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define the college and career competency of self-efficacy.
- Explain two essential components of self-efficacy, namely the belief that ability can grow through effort and the belief in one’s own ability to achieve specific goals and also meet specific expectations (Gaumer Erickson, Soukup, Noonan & McGurn, 2015).
- Develop an instructional plan that builds on success observations, continuing success, and other strategies.
Reflective Questions
- Do you have any students who seem to think they’re never going to succeed in the classroom or in school in general? What factors do you think influence this “can’t do it” belief?
- What are some specific, attainable short-term goals you could suggest that will challenge the students and build their self-efficacy skills?
- How well are you rebounding from setbacks and willing to experiment with new techniques to achieve a goal?