The relationship between academic achievement and self-efficacy beliefs in adult learners
Introduction
Self and identity researchers have long held that beliefs about the self are both a product of situations and a shaper of behaviour in situations (). The relationship of self-beliefs to motivation and performance in academic settings is well documented (). In addition, a growing body of research has evidenced the role of adult learning in contributing to changes in academic and global self-efficacy (). If we accept the precept of Bandura’s () reciprocal determinism, a review into the relationship between academic achievement and self-efficacy beliefs in adult learners is meaningful because global self-efficacy has been shown to mediate …show more content…
Reviews of these studies conclude that self-efficacy and academic beliefs in adults engaged in education are positively and moderately correlated (). However, establishing a relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement is problematic because it is difficult to determine the extent to which the variables influence each other in a reciprocal manner. To address this limitation, longitudinal studies of the relation between self-beliefs and student achievement in adult learners have also been reviewed (Caprara et al). The finding of the reviewed studies are consistent with the view that self-efficacy can influence academic achievement (). Additionally, the possession of domain specific self-efficacy appears to confer a limited but statistically significant advantage on subsequent achievement measures in the representative domain of those students who exhibit higher self-efficacy beliefs …show more content…
Methodological factors could account for this aspect of the findings. In the research conducted by Bloggs (2010) and Adams (2010), for example, difficulty ascertaining overall beliefs about the self from a summary of reported views in specific domains could impact on the predictive credibility of those views on academic achievement. Even those studies that utilise direct self-reports of global self-beliefs, such as the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, are premised on the belief that participants are prepared and able to provide accurate accounts on self-beliefs
Introduction
Self and identity researchers have long held that beliefs about the self are both a product of situations and a shaper of behaviour in situations (). The relationship of self-beliefs to motivation and performance in academic settings is well documented (). In addition, a growing body of research has evidenced the role of adult learning in contributing to changes in academic and global self-efficacy (). If we accept the precept of Bandura’s () reciprocal determinism, a review into the relationship between academic achievement and self-efficacy beliefs in adult learners is meaningful because global self-efficacy has been shown to mediate …show more content…
Reviews of these studies conclude that self-efficacy and academic beliefs in adults engaged in education are positively and moderately correlated (). However, establishing a relationship between self-efficacy and academic achievement is problematic because it is difficult to determine the extent to which the variables influence each other in a reciprocal manner. To address this limitation, longitudinal studies of the relation between self-beliefs and student achievement in adult learners have also been reviewed (Caprara et al). The finding of the reviewed studies are consistent with the view that self-efficacy can influence academic achievement (). Additionally, the possession of domain specific self-efficacy appears to confer a limited but statistically significant advantage on subsequent achievement measures in the representative domain of those students who exhibit higher self-efficacy beliefs …show more content…
Methodological factors could account for this aspect of the findings. In the research conducted by Bloggs (2010) and Adams (2010), for example, difficulty ascertaining overall beliefs about the self from a summary of reported views in specific domains could impact on the predictive credibility of those views on academic achievement. Even those studies that utilise direct self-reports of global self-beliefs, such as the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, are premised on the belief that participants are prepared and able to provide accurate accounts on self-beliefs