Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to succeed in achieving an outcome or reaching a goal.
An internal belief, self-efficacy is related to whether a student believes that s/he has sufficient control over his/her environment in order to succeed. High self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one’s own motivation, behavior, and environment and allows students to become advocates for their own needs and supports. Decades of research show that self-efficacy is a valid predictor of students’ motivation and learning. Students with high levels of self-efficacy participate more in class, work harder, persist longer, and have fewer adverse emotional reactions when encountering difficulties than students with lower self-efficacy. High self-efficacy can also motivate students to use specific learning strategies and to engage in self-directed learning.
