Diverse Levels Of Self Efficacy

“People’s levels of motivation, affective states, and actions are based more on what they believe than on what is objectively the case.” -- Bandura

Judgments of self-efficacy are generally measured along three basic scales: magnitude, strength, and generality.

• Self-efficacy magnitude measures the difficulty level (e.g. easy, moderate, and hard) an individual feels is required to perform a certain task (Van der Bijl & Shortridge-Baggett, 2002). How difficult is my class work? Are the quizzes easy or hard?

• Self-efficacy strength refers to the amount of conviction an individual has about performing successfully at diverse levels of difficulty (Van der Bijl & Shortridge-Baggett, 2002). How confident am I that I can excel at my work tasks?

In fact, most experimental tests of self efficacy’s causality employ novel tasks. Researchers have induced high or low self efficacy in college students by providing positive or negative feedback and found out that students whose self efficacy had been raised used more efficient problem solving strategies on a novel tasks than the students whose self efficacy had been lowered. (Bandura, 1986) observed that there are a number of conditions under which self efficacy beliefs do not perform their influential, predictive or mediational role in human functioning. Bandura suggested that when social constraints and inadequate resources impede academic performances, self efficacy may exceed actual performance because it is not so much a matter that students do not know what to do but rather that they are unable to do what they know. The basic idea behind the Self-Efficacy Theory is that performance and motivation are in part determined by how effective people believe they can be (Bandura, 1982; as cited in Redmond, 2010). The theory is clearly illustrated in the following quote by Mahatma

As such, this self system serves a self-regulatory function by providing individuals with the capability to influence their own cognitive processes and actions and thus alter their environments. Bandura argued that self reflection is the most unique characteristic of human beings. Through self reflection, individuals evaluate their own experiences and thought processes. Self reflective judgments include perceptions of self efficacy beliefs. Potent, affective, episodic and evaluative nature of beliefs makes them a filter through which new phenomena are interpreted. Our knowledge, skills and outcomes may have created our self efficacy beliefs but the filtering effect ultimately screens, redefines, distorts or reshapes subsequent efforts and new information. Individuals create and develop self perceptions of capability that become instrumental to the goals they pursue and to the control they are able to exercise over the environment. Higher self efficacy means higher persistence. People with high self efficacy attribute failure to effort and with low self efficacy attribute to ability. Collins (1982) found sense of efficacy shapes casual thinking. Initial success increases and failure lowers self efficacy beliefs but later filter begins to