‘Self-efficacy beliefs in students’

Self-efficacy refers to the individual's belief that he or she can successfully execute the behaviors required by a particular situation. Perceptions of one's own efficacy importantly guide and direct one's behavior. The close connection between high self-efficacy expectations and effective performance is illustrated in studies of people who received various treatments to help reduce specific fears. A consistently high association was found between the degrees to which persons improved from treatment (becoming able to handle snakes fearlessly) and their perceived self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). If we assess perceived selfefficacy (asking people to specifically predict their ability to do a given act successfully), according to Bandura we can predict whether or not will be able to perform it. Perceived self-efficacy influences the goals people set for themselves and the risks that they are willing to take: the greater their perceived self-efficacy, the higher the goals they choose and the stronger their commitment and perserverance in pursuing them (Bandura, 1977, 2001). Conversely, people who view themselves as lacking efficacy for coping with life tasks are vulnerable to anxiety and may develop avoidance patterns designed to reduce their fears. People who see themselves as lacking in essential efficacy also may become prone to depression. They may even show impairments in their immune system when coping with stressors that they believe they cannot control.