Albert Bandura A Study on SelfEfficacy GABY MARTIN

Albert Bandura: A Study on Self-Efficacy GABY MARTIN

Biography Born on December 4, 1925 in Alberta, Canada Graduated from University of British Columbia with B. A. in psychology in 1949 Received M. A. in 1951 and Ph. D. in clinical psychology at University of Iowa in 1952 Postdoctoral internship at Wichita Guidance Center in Kansas

Biography Joined faculty at Stanford University in 1953 Met Robert Sears, a pioneer in social learning theory Bandura became interested in social learning theory himself Elected president of the American Psychological Association 1974 Continues to teach at Stanford today

Social Learning Theory We learn to interact with one another to obtain rewards Similar to Skinner We learn in social situations Through imitation By observing models Bandura’s studies: Powerful effects models have on behavior Bobo doll studies How our efforts affect our beliefs in our capacities (self-efficacy)

Socialization Studies Socialization is the process by which societies influence the behavior of their members Bandura’s studies: Aggression (Bobo doll) Gender roles Prosocial behavior Self-regulation: when a person begins to depend less on externalities in society to regulate his/her own behavior

Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy is “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action to manage prospective situations” Involves self-observation which is when a person observes his/her own performance and compares it to his/her own standards Self-efficacy appraisal: a conclusion made after a performance on one’s general ability “I’m not good at math”

Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy comes from Actual performance: failure or success Vicarious experience: failure or success of others Verbal persuasion: pep talks Physiololgical cues: bodily cues Statement of Problem How do actual performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and physiological cues affect a child’s self-efficacy? Do these sources of self-efficacy really make a great impact on a child’s performance?

My Study Setting St. Clement’s Episcopal School in El Paso, TX Procedure 20 8 th grade students divided into four groups: Actual performance Vicarious experience Verbal persuasion Physiological cues Each group took a quick math test along with a questionnaire to fill out before and after the test Each student was asked whether or not they think they are good at math and to predict how well they will do on the test Each test was graded and each questionnaire was evaluated to establish a sense of each student’s self-efficacy

My Study Hypotheses The students’ self-efficacy will be affected by vicarious experience and especially by actual performance. Bandura explains that the process of self-regulation takes in actual performance through self-observation in order to make an assessment about one’s own performance. One will then perform accordingly with his/her evaluation. Students’ sense of self-efficacy will have a major impact on performance (test scores). The students’ performance (test scores) will be also be impacted by vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and physiological cues.

Questionnaire How was each student’s self-efficacy evaluated? Rubric Answers to questions: “YES” / “GOOD” “SOMETIMES” / “IN THE MIDDLE” “NO” / “BAD” +2 +1 +0 Self-efficacy evaluation: POSITIVE 4 MEDIUM 3 2 NEGATIVE 1 0

Results Group 1: Actual Performance First Predictions Second Predictions Name Sex Age Do you think you are good at math? Adrian M 14 Yes Good 7/8 Good 4 13 Sometimes In the middle 7/8 Good 2 M 14 Sometimes In the middle 4/8 In the middle 2 Ximena F Paulo How well do you think you will Score Self-Efficacy Score do? Lauren F 14 Sometimes In the middle 4/8 In the middle 2 Paola 13 Sometimes In the middle 4/8 In the middle 2 F

Results Group 2: Vicarious Experience Predictions Name Sex Age Do you think you are good at math? After peers, how well do you think you will do? Score Self-Efficacy Score Pita F 14 Yes Good 6/8 4 Regina F 13 Yes In the middle 4/8 3 Luis M 14 Sometimes In the middle 4/8 2 Estefania F 13 Sometimes In the middle 5/8 2 Eduardo M 14 Sometimes Bad 3/8 1

Results Group 3: Verbal Persuasion Predictions Name Sex Age Do you think you are good at math? How well do you think you will do? Score Self-Efficacy Score Viviana F 14 Sometimes In the middle 5/8 2 Nicholas M 13 Sometimes Good 5/8 3 Manuel M 14 Yes In the middle 4/8 3 Daniel M 14 Yes Good 4/8 4 Megan F 14 Sometimes In the middle 4/8 2

Results Group 4: Physiological Cues Predictions Name Sex Age Paxton Do you think you are good at math? How well do you think you will do? How are you feeling? Score Self-Efficacy Score F 13 Sometimes In the middle Tired 2/8 2 Hannah F 14 Sometimes In the middle Tired 4/8 2 Kevin M 13 Sometimes In the middle I feel kinda nervous 4/8 2 Jose M 14 Yes In the middle Sick and tired 2/8 3 Mary Jo F 13 Sometimes In the middle Tired and bored 3/8 2

Results 8 Self-Efficacy Compared to Test Scores (in Each Group) 7 7 Test Score (# Correct out of 8) 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 Group 1: Actual Performance 4 Group 2: Vicarious Experience 3 3 3 Group 3: Verbal Persuasion Group 4: Physiological Cues 2 2 1 /8 Best Self-efficacy (4) Good Self-efficacy (3) Medium Self-efficacy (2) Level of Self-Efficacy Low Self-efficacy (1) Worst Self-efficacy (0)

Results 7 Self-Efficacy Compared to Test Scores (All Groups) 6 Test Score (# Correct out of 8) 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 1 0 0 Best Self-efficacy (4) Good Self-efficacy (3) Medium Self-efficacy Low Self-efficacy (1) Worst Self-efficacy (0) (2) Level of Self-Efficacy

Results Changes in Self-Efficacy Adrian Ximena Paulo Lauren Paola M F F 14 13 14 14 13 Group 1: Actual Performance First Predictions Good at math? How will you do? Self-Efficacy Score Yes Good 4 Sometimes In the middle 2 Second Predictions How will you do? Good In the middle Second Self-Efficacy Score 4 3 2 2 2 After peers, how will you do? Good In the middle Bad Second Self-Efficacy Score 4 3 2 2 1 Group 2: Vicarious Experience Pita Regina Luis Estefania Eduardo F F M 14 13 14 Predictions Good at math? How will you do? Self-Efficacy Score Yes In the middle 3 Sometimes In the middle 2

Conclusion Two of my hypotheses were proven incorrect This was because the research was very limited Very small sample of students Much data was inconclusive Bandura is not wrong

Did You Know? Did you know that a bandura is a musical instrument? It is often described as the voice of Ukraine. From a musical perspective, the bandura unifies acoustic principles of both the lute and the harp. This produces a sound that is both emphatic and gentle, resembling that of a harpsichord, but with a wider range of dynamics and tonal control.