Numerous research studies have taken as their main focus the issues of poor retention and hindered success in science and engineering fields, many of these placing particular emphasis on the role of self-efficacy beliefs. Introduced by Bandura (1977) as a part of his social cognitive theory,
self-efficacy beliefs are the convictions people hold about their abilities to
perform the tasks they deem necessary to achieve a desired outcome. The
construct of self-efficacy is often confused with a person’s self-confidence.
Confidence, a more general term than efficacy, refers only to the strength of a
belief in one’s abilities and may fail to specifically name the object of that belief. Efficacy is based on both a specified level of attainment and the strength of one’s belief that that level of attainment can be achieved (Bandura, 1997). Efficacy theorists hold that self-efficacy beliefs influence people’s choices, effort, persistence, and accomplishments (Pajares, 1997). Although efficacy beliefs are constructed on an individual level, they are derived largely through social interactions and contexts. This social component suggests that educators unfamiliar with the construct of efficacy may unknowingly influence their students’ efficacy beliefs. Equipping these educators with an understanding of how efficacy beliefs are developed prepares them to focus their attention on how they might best influence students in a positive manner.