increasing self-efficacy to enhance learning and motivation

Lance, Mahone, Washington

Middle Schools

Keri HeusdensChristina Oldani

Tanya Ware

INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY TO

ENHANCE LEARNING AND MOTIVATION

If students have a low sense of self-efficacy, their ability to be self-directed and successful learners is

significantly diminished. They will attribute successes and failures to luck rather than the amount of effort

they put into the task.

CHALLENGE

One’s belief in their

capability to perform in ways that

allow them to influence the events that affect their

lives.

WHAT IS SELF EFFICACY?

People with a high degree of self-efficacy approach difficult tasks as challenges to overcome, instead of

problems to be avoided, and sustain their efforts even in the face of failure.

• Do you feel that you have the ability to teach every student?

• Have you ever lost faith in your ability to meet the needs of all students due to factors beyond your control?

• How often have you found yourself giving up on challenging professional tasks?

REFLECT ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES

• Act out, refuse to work, or shut down when an activity is difficult?

• Say they can't complete assignments?

• Give up quickly?

• Lose faith in their ability to perform a task?

DO YOUR STUDENTS...

They are lacking self-efficacy

There are four sources of self-efficacy:o Mastery Experiences

o Vicarious Experiences

o Social Persuasions (feedback)

o Psychological and Emotional States

SOURCES OF SELF-EFFICACY

Lack of successful experiences

Not providing opportunity for mastery

Lack of encouragement and support

High stress or anxiety

Competitive environment

Inadequate feedback

CAUSES OF POOR SELF-EFFICACY

Use moderately-difficult tasks

Use peer models

Capitalize on students’ interests

Allow students to make choices Encourage students to try

Give frequent, focused feedback

Encourage accurate attributions

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY

• Teachers and students will have increased self-efficacy measured by pre and post surveys.

• Student learning will increase.

• School morale and motivation and effort will increase.

• Quality of student work will increase.

DESIRED OUTCOMES

HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE?

• Complete pre and post survey • Teach goal setting to students• Write goals using one (per semester) of the six root

causes of low self-efficacy• Reflect on goals (Journal) • Share students’ progress (My Big Campus/Meetings) • Implement self-efficacy learning activities• Teach book study lessons (provided by Delta Teams) to

advisories.

WE WILL:

• Administer and analyze survey• Present goal setting format • Provide prompts for goal reflections• Develop advisory activities for teachers to use• Manage My Big Campus Group • Analyze program

• Feedback/Observation• Case Study• School Reports

• Communicate self-efficacy strategies with families

DELTA TEAM WILL:

• Complete pre and post self-efficacy survey

• Set goals

• Reflect on goals (Journals) • Discuss progress with teachers and/or peers

• Complete activities that promote self-efficacy

• Participate in advisory book study and corresponding activities.

STUDENTS WILL:

• Teacher self-efficacy pre-survey• Student self-efficacy pre-survey• Students set goals (1 big goal per quarter with smaller

goals that are reflected on weekly)• Teachers set goals (2 during the year)• Student journaling (with prompts from Delta team)• Teacher journaling (with prompts from Delta team)• Monthly advisory activities (provided by the Delta team)• Teacher self-efficacy post-survey• Student self-efficacy post-survey

ACTIVITIES

I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence

6 chapters: GoalsFears

Commitment Teamwork

Fundamentals Leadership

BOOK STUDY

An excerpt from: I Can’t Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence

I approach everything step by step....I had always set short-term goals. As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one. When I got cut from

the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again....So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity.

That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable

goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough....I guess I approached it with the end in mind. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting

there. As I reached those goals, they built on one another. I gained a little confidence every time I came through.

BOOK STUDY

GOAL SETTING

• Student goal setting

• Teacher goal setting

• Reflecting on goals through journaling

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

• Lessons on self-efficacy

• Class discussions

• Promoting school wide self-efficacy (posters)

• The connection between self-efficacy and achievement get stronger as students get older.

• If we want high student achievement it is essential we start stressing self-efficacy early.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK?

Achievers set goals and have a higher sense of self-efficacy.

(Robert Wood and Edwin Locke, 1987)

Underachievers do not set goals

and if they do they are set at

unattainable levels.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK?

When students are taught to take larger, more distant goals and break them into manageable steps, they make faster progress in attaining skills or content, they are able to self-regulate, and they have greater self-efficacy.

(Albert Bandura and Dale Schunk, 1981)

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK?

• Afolabi, K. A. (2010, September 1). Relationship of Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Urban Public School Students to Performance on a High-Stakes Mathematics Test. Open Access Dissertations. Amherst, MA, USA: University of Massachusetts.

• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

• Kirk, K. (2012, July 19). Self-Efficacy: Helping Students Believe in Themselves. Retrieved July 23, 2012, from The Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/efficacy.html

• Pellino, K. (2003). The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from Teachnology: http://www.teach-nology.com/Articles/teaching/poverty/

• Siegle, D. (2007). Increasing Student Mathematics Self-Efficacy Through Teacher Training. Journal of Advanced Academics , 278-312.

• Siegle, D. (2000). Self-Efficacy Strategies. Retrieved July 23, 2012, from Self-Efficacy Intervention.

• Zimmerman, B., & Cleary, T. (2006). Adolescents' Development of Personal Agency: The Role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Self-Regulatory Skill. In F. Pajares, & T. Urdan, Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents (pp. 45-69). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

REFERENCES