A Sociocultural Perspective on Self-Efficacy Development

• In Event: Part 2 – Recent Advancement in Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning: Big Theories Revisited

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine theorized and observed cultural variations in the development of academic self-efficacy as well as the processes or mechanisms responsible for this variation.

Theoretical framework: Hundreds of studies conducted over the past two decades in diverse cultural contexts have shown that learners’ self-efficacy, the belief students hold in their own academic capabilities, is positively related to school performance, persistence, and motivation (Bandura, 1997; Schunk & Pajares, 2004; Usher, 2015). Empowered by their own perceived capabilities, learners can become agents in their own academic and social development. From this sociocognitive perspective, learners’ capacity for self-influence means that they have the power to alter the directions their lives take, despite the diverse cultural contexts in which they live (Bandura, 2002). Nevertheless, the level of self-efficacy that students report has been shown to differ across cultural contexts, which may signify that students form their self-efficacy differently according to contextual variations (Oettingen & Zosuls, 2006). Bandura (1997) hypothesized that people base their judgments of what they can do on information from four primary sources: their own past performances, the modeled actions of others, evaluative social messages, and their own physiological and affective states. Although a growing body of work has focused on these sources of academic self-efficacy (e.g., Usher & Pajares, 2008), little has focused on describing contextual variations in self-efficacy development. For instance, two students exposed to the same “objective” sources of information may or may not alter their perceived efficacy in similar ways. Rather, learners use rules for weighting and integrating information from various sources (Bandura, 1997). These rules are cognitively constructed from internal and environmental inputs. For example, to an average-ability American attending an average-performing suburban high school, earning a B on an exam might raise self-efficacy. To a German adolescent attending the selective gymnasium, earning a similar grade (e.g., a 2+) might be devastating.

Modes of inquiry: We examine cultural variations in the formation of self-efficacy through a critical review of research conducted in diverse contexts (e.g., nationality, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability level). This work shows that so-called internal sources of self-efficacy rarely work alone. People’s beliefs about their own capabilities are influenced by the cultural contexts in which they live (e.g., Ahn, Usher, Butz, & Bong, 2016; Lin, Fong, & Wang, in press). Different methodological approaches have enabled researchers to better understand the individual and sociocultural rules by which students evaluate their efficacy-relevant experiences (Ahn, Bong, & Kim, 2017). We discuss these and other approaches that might be useful for further research.

Results and scholarly significance: Findings from the studies reviewed indicate that students’ exposure to various types of efficacy-relevant information differs as a function of personal and contextual factors, as does the relative influence of these informational sources on students’ academic self-efficacy. We close by enumerating the processes through which learners’ sociocultural context can affect self-efficacy development. We offer recommendations for conducting context-appropriate research on self-efficacy and its sources.

Authors

• Ellen L. Usher, University of Kentucky

• Brianna McCrea, University of Kentucky