How Teachers Can Promote Students’ Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to achieve a goal or outcome, is a major influence of a student’s academic achievement, motivation, and learning. Students with a strong sense of self-efficacy are more likely to challenge themselves, be intrinsically motivated, persevere through failure, and achieve their goals. Teachers can help support and increase student self-efficacy by incorporating specific strategies into the classroom. First, mastery experiences are the best way to promote student self-efficacy because the student experienced success in that specific area. Second, self-efficacy can grow through vicarious experiences, which is when a student observes a peer or role model succeeding at something. Third, verbal persuasion and encouragement from the teacher or a peer is an effective strategy to promote self-efficacy. Fourth, a student’s emotional state or feelings towards a particular task or subject is strongly tied to one’s self-efficacy. Teachers can work on creating positive experiences and feelings towards that task or subject to boost one’s belief in their abilities. Other ways teachers can promote students’ self-efficacy are to teach goal setting, allow for cooperative learning, give students choices, and provide honest feedback.
EDUC 330, Child Development
Brian Kaelin
Banquet Room, Poster #6
10 AM – Noon