What is Self-Efficacy Belief?
Self-efficacy refers to the sense of confidence we have to perform a particular task. We all have beliefs about what we can do with the skills that we possess and it doesnt matter if the task is a physical one, such as hitting a golf ball, or an academic one, such as identifying anatomical structures in a biology class. How we think we can perform affects how we actually do perform. Of course this is only true if the belief is derived from a source that is consistent with the task. In other words, false bravado is not likely to enhance achievement but concrete evidence of ability to perform will. A classic example of this latter point can be drawn from teacher-made examinations. Students will score better on exams if easier test items come early in the test (Gallagher, 1998 and Stiggins, 1994). What is happening is that students make judgements about how they will perform on the test based upon two sets of experiences. First is how they have performed on similar tests in the past and s
