Sources of Self-Efficacy Over Time in Large Introductory STEM Courses (Poster 39)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 8:00 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Feedback, Teacher Support, and Instructional Approaches

Abstract

Introductory STEM courses function as a gateway into STEM majors and play a crucial role in impacting student motivation, performance, and persistence in STEM disciplines. Given the influential impact of introductory STEM courses on students’ college experiences and future outcomes, we sought to understand students’ self-efficacy experiences in these courses at a large research-intensive university. Using Bandura’s self-efficacy theory as a guide, we utilized qualitative research methods to explore how students in large introductory STEM courses derive their self-efficacy from four sources: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological and affective states. In this paper, we present the results of our analysis of students’ experiences with social persuasion and vicarious experiences.

Authors

• Rebecca L. Matz, University of Michigan

• Vibhavari Vempala, University of Michigan