Self-Efficacy¶

Learner Variable · All learner variables
Evidence · 150 claims (111 show a difference, 24 mixed, 15 no difference) · 122 studies (49 associational, 22 causal, 18 review, 14 qualitative, 8 design, 6 theoretical, 5 quant-synthesis), q1–q4 · 27 of 122 report an effect size · 146 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Self-efficacy is Bandura's term for task-specific confidence: how sure a learner is that they can do what a task requires. It is measured with self-report scales tied to a domain (mathematics self-efficacy, writing self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy). It predicts effort, persistence and achievement, it moderates some instructional effects, and it is itself an outcome that instruction can raise, chiefly through experiences of success, seeing similar others succeed, and specific feedback. It is narrower than motivation and distinct from general self-esteem.

Implications¶

Context¶

Raised by mastery experiences, so tasks sequenced for early success and feedback that names what the learner did well matter.
Self-report scales are sensitive to wording and timing; a gain in confidence is not a gain in skill.

Target Learners¶

Learners with low confidence in a subject, such as students who have struggled with mathematics or writing before.

Target Learning Objectives¶

Persistence, choice of further study in the subject, and achievement.

Claims¶

88% of AI-assisted students reported increased self-efficacy and confidence during independent practicals [+M] — instruction changes it
A CCSR research review concludes that four academic mindsets (belonging, growth beliefs, self-efficacy and value) increase perseverance and improve academic behaviors [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Academic self-efficacy does not significantly predict academic stress, and social influence does not directly predict AI dependence [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Academic self-efficacy is associated with high school graduation rates and mathematics achievement [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Academic self-efficacy is negatively associated with AI dependency among university students [-M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
One Black male educator reported that Admiral Squad participation raised his confidence, sense of belonging, and sense of purpose [+M] — instruction changes it
Agriculture teachers' self-efficacy is positively related to career persistence indicators such as career commitment and job satisfaction [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
AI dependency mediates the relationship between academic self-efficacy and learning burnout [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
AI literacy instruction widened a confidence-knowledge gap: students' perceived understanding of AI tools increased significantly after instruction while actual knowledge improved minimally [+M] — instruction changes it
AI Prompting Literacy is indirectly and significantly associated with Deep Revision Engagement through Perceived Competence, Intrinsic Motivation, and Psychological Safety [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
AI Prompting Literacy significantly positively predicts Perceived Competence, Intrinsic Motivation, and Psychological Safety among Chinese university EFL learners [+M] — instruction changes it
AI self-efficacy and self-regulated learning mediate the support–competence associations in opposite patterns for the two supports [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
AI-generated responses positively influenced the self-efficacy of secondary students in solving mathematics problems [+M] — instruction changes it
AI-supported lab manual design increased students' confidence in troubleshooting and data analysis [+M] — instruction changes it
AI-TPACK positively predicts science teaching self-efficacy among Chinese pre-service science teachers [+M] — instruction changes it
AIGC feedback quality predicts satisfaction but not self-efficacy, and satisfaction does not predict self-regulated learning [-M] — instruction changes it
Among AI-TPACK dimensions, all except AI technological knowledge and integrative AI-TPACK are significantly and positively associated with college teachers' AI teaching innovation behavior [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Assessment design, perceived assessment value, self-confidence, and fear of wrongful plagiarism accusations were the most frequently cited reasons for students' GenAI adoption decisions [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Authentic, challenging projects in the Learning Studio developed students' self-efficacy for future careers [+M] — instruction changes it
Both academic self-efficacy and AI self-efficacy are negatively associated with reported AI dependency, supporting a unified compensatory mechanism [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Cheating tendency mediates the effects of procrastination, learned helplessness, and self-efficacy on AI-assisted dishonesty, with indirect effects stronger at higher AI use [~W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Chinese EFL learners' positive perceptions of GenAI-based pronunciation feedback are positively associated with their English pronunciation self-efficacy [+M] — instruction changes it
Coaches reported significantly greater confidence in their coaching skills by year end, rising from 62 to 89 percent rating themselves high or extremely high [+M] — instruction changes it
Comparing their own analyses with LLM outputs empowered students' sense of competence and reduced concerns about LLMs replacing human expertise [+W] — instruction changes it
Criterion measures, attitudes towards learning English, instrumentality promotion, and ideal L2 self are the strongest predictors of L2 self-efficacy [+M] — instruction changes it
Dynamic Learning Project research found teachers who worked with edtech coaches used technology more frequently and felt more confident than peers who did not [+M] — instruction changes it
Early math exposure in young children is linked to development, math confidence, and later math use (authors' assertion) [+W] — instruction changes it
Educational cross-sectional studies link stronger AI reliance or dependence scores with lower academic self-efficacy, higher academic stress, and stronger performance expectations [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Faculty confidence in guiding student AI use rose markedly after the six-week institute, with high-confidence responses increasing from 0% to 60% [+M] — instruction changes it
Feedback about self as a person is the least effective feedback level; task, process, and self-regulation feedback support learning and combine for greater impact [~W] — an instructional effect differs with it
Feedback quality influences SRL only indirectly through learning motivation, not through self-efficacy or satisfaction [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Female students show stronger academic self-confidence, more positive attitudes, higher achievement, and fewer absences, but this advantage diminishes almost completely under mastery learning [~M] — instruction changes it
Fifth-grade self-efficacy is associated with later math and reading growth (.15 and .19 standardized units per SD), mediating ELL status's indirect negative association with growth [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Frequent generative AI use enhances perceived confidence and efficiency but increases technological dependence among university students [+M] — instruction changes it
After gamified security training, female students gave more positive confidence and format-preference ratings than male students (descriptive survey percentages, no inferential test) [+M] — an instructional effect differs with it
GCLA use improves cognitive and behavioral engagement and self-efficacy compared with traditional ChatGPT use in blended learning [+M] — instruction changes it
Girls show less confidence and interest in math and science from early adolescence, and a strong math/science self-concept predicts course choice and performance for both genders [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Growth in academic self-efficacy is significantly associated with growth in mathematics achievement when modeled jointly [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Guided reflection embedded in self-assessment supports commencing students to engage responsibly and confidently with GenAI while maintaining academic integrity [+M] — instruction changes it
In agentic AI-supported online learning, perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness are each positively associated with learning motivation [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
In one flipped calculus study, teaching method (peer-teaching versus conventional flipped classroom) and prior achievement level interact on self-efficacy [~M] — instruction changes it
In the pooled OLS model of current AI-use intensity, perceived usefulness (β = 0.322) and competence (β = 0.268) are the strongest positive associations, while institutional policy clarity shows no association after adjustment [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Interpersonal audio discussions with feedback and self-assessment elicit a statistically significant increase in introductory L2 learners' perceived pronunciation ability [+W] — instruction changes it
Iterative testing engagement during AI agent creation predicts CT self-efficacy gains after controlling for initial self-efficacy [+M] — instruction changes it
ITS-based practice did not improve post-training self-efficacy relative to paper-based practice; baseline self-efficacy was the primary determinant [-M] — instruction changes it
Journal club activities are reported to enhance critical appraisal skills and confidence among pharmacy students [+W] — instruction changes it
Lack of confidence and inappropriate language use were observed obstacles to students' mathematical communication during the experiment [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Learners' task-specific self-efficacy beliefs predict whether they initiate, persist through, and recover from difficulty on academic tasks. [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Low-proficiency EFL undergraduates report feeling more competent in English tasks through ChatGPT-assisted writing feedback, conversational practice, and translation support [+W] — instruction changes it
Math tutoring programs may improve students' math confidence and sense of belonging [+M] — instruction changes it
Metacognitive confidence about credit correlates with financial behaviors and advice giving, but knowledge performance does not correlate with behavior [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Middle school SEL shows normative decline in self-efficacy and self-management but an increase in growth mindset [+M] — instruction changes it
More frequent media consumption is associated with greater perceived ability to manage and critically analyze information [+M] — instruction changes it
Motivational Disengagement, reported by 270 participants, captures reduced initiative and eroding confidence linked to AI reliance [+M] — instruction changes it
Multi-tool GenAI users report higher support, reliance, and benefit than single-tool users, but lower confidence working without GenAI [~M] — instruction changes it
Peer-teaching flipped classroom students show higher calculus self-efficacy than conventional flipped classroom students after controlling for pretest [+M] — instruction changes it
Perceived competence predicts autonomous motivation for AI use but not autonomy support for AI use [~W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Perceived Competence, Intrinsic Motivation, and Psychological Safety each significantly positively predict Deep Revision Engagement [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Perceived school support positively predicts AI learning self-efficacy and AI perceived usefulness among Chinese undergraduates [+M] — instruction changes it
Perceived social support positively predicts both AI literacy and technological self-efficacy among university faculty [+M] — instruction changes it
Positive teacher–student relationships relate to math outcomes through self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, belonging, engagement, and mathematics identity [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Practice condition did not significantly affect learners' subjective confidence about credit knowledge or ability to manage credit [-W] — instruction changes it
Pre-service primary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs correlate weakly but positively with their ability to determine suitable taxonomy, strategy, and method-techniques [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Primary studies report possible benefits of GenAI for children's divergent thinking, narrative creativity and creative self-efficacy, without confirmed efficacy [~M] — instruction changes it
Project-based and experiential learning approaches are reported as most effective for AI literacy education, and early exposure enhances learners' self-efficacy [+W] — instruction changes it
Proximal goals and ability attributional feedback for early learning raise self-efficacy more than distant goals and effort feedback, by a review's report of earlier studies [+M] — instruction changes it
PTFC and CFC differ on general and future self-efficacy dimensions but not on grade-anxiety, in-class, or assignment dimensions [~M] — instruction changes it
Qualitative findings: ease of use supports engagement and confidence, but challenge must be tailored to ability and content must be culturally relatable [~W] — instruction changes it
Self-efficacy and learning motivation serially mediate the link from AIGC affordance to self-regulated learning [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Self-efficacy correlates positively with conceptual understanding in both flipped classroom methods [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Self-efficacy is related to the achievement gap for English Language Learners [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Self-efficacy negatively correlates with cheating, but actual ability does not inversely correlate with dishonesty [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Self-efficacy predicts cluster membership, with the article concluding self-efficacy may play a foundational role in the cluster difference [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Social-emotional factors, including low academic self-efficacy and self-management, are related to rapid guessing behavior [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Sociocultural factors, learner motivation, self-efficacy and perceptions of the classroom environment influence FLCA learning outcomes and oral performance [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Some students described confidence in programming that depended on AI being available [~W] — instruction changes it
Students attributed initial passive reliance on GenAI to prompting paralysis and an authority bias compounded by low academic self-efficacy [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Students reported increased personal responsibility and described the reflective self-assessment process as confidence-building during their transition to university [+M] — instruction changes it
Students with a better understanding of how AI systems work show higher academic self-efficacy [+M] — instruction changes it
Students with a stronger sense of belonging tend to show more academic self-confidence, motivation, engagement and achievement (review reports Pedler et al.) [+W] — instruction changes it
Students with lower baseline self-efficacy achieved greater learning gains in both practice formats, though the relationship varied with favorability toward each format [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Students' self-efficacy for using generative AI increased over the semester, with current self-efficacy significantly higher after the fifth assignment than after the first [+M] — instruction changes it
Successful program completion increased participants' self-confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy, which aided their settlement and integration into Canadian society [+M] — instruction changes it
Successful use of mastery learning has powerful but mixed effects on teacher variables, including more positive attitudes, altered attributions, and reduced teaching confidence [~M] — instruction changes it
Teacher emotional support buffers the negative association between low math self-efficacy and low engagement [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teacher self-efficacy is most strongly associated with perceived enjoyment of GenAI tools [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teachers commonly attribute increased student engagement—active involvement, multiple solution approaches, perseverance, and confidence—to ILC-influenced instruction [+M] — instruction changes it
Teachers report very high self-perceived competence and efficacy that are virtually unrelated to their schools' prior achievement levels [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teachers reported student gains in motivation and confidence to engage in literacy and mathematics learning activities [+M] — instruction changes it
Teachers who report coaching as a partnership report more improvement in classroom challenges and higher technology-use confidence; voluntary participation and non-evaluative support correlate with improvement in classroom challenges [+M] — instruction changes it
Technological self-efficacy significantly but modestly predicts faculty AI well-being [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
The effect of practice condition on learning gains was moderated by a three-way interaction of condition, baseline self-efficacy, and favorability [~M] — an instructional effect differs with it
The example-based course increased perceived competence, but neither the course nor the assistant had a significant effect on perceived choice or pressure [+M] — instruction changes it
The most cited barriers to adult learning are situational, but adults also face internal barriers such as low confidence in their ability to learn [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
The Skill-Application Paradox: stopped competitive programmers self-report higher theoretical confidence than active peers yet show significantly weaker practice habits and peer support [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
The SWELL logic model posits that participating teachers will increase self-efficacy in literacy instruction and in supporting English learner students [+W] — instruction changes it
Trust in AI and academic self-efficacy serially mediate the literacy-to-continued-use association (literacy → trust → self-efficacy → use) [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
When a strong sense of self-efficacy is accompanied by sustained student effort, better academic achievement is likely [~W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Workplace harassment did not significantly degrade teacher self-efficacy, plausibly due to a ceiling effect [-W] — instruction changes it
Age negatively and education positively predict memory self-efficacy, and age negatively predicts memory performance [+M] — instruction changes it
Dispositional learning goals positively predict memory self-efficacy in younger and older adults [+M] — instruction changes it
Dispositional performance goals negatively predict memory self-efficacy in younger and older adults [+M] — instruction changes it
High-performance feedback increases self-efficacy more than low-performance feedback, with comparable effects across younger and older adults [+M] — instruction changes it
In a cross-sectional model of adults, memory self-efficacy is positively associated with memory performance and carries a significant indirect path from learning goals and a marginal one (p = .07) from performance goals [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Older adults restudy easy and medium items more than younger adults, and lower memory self-efficacy correlates with avoiding difficult items [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Community-based mathematical investigations gave students confidence to use mathematics for social change [+M] — instruction changes it
Math circle participants reported positive mathematics attitudes, with most respondents indicating mathematics was important, interesting, liked, and that they felt confident solving problems [+M] — instruction changes it
Self-efficacy moderates the mediating role of SRL between school belonging and mastery, with the strongest mediation for low-efficacy students [~M] — an instructional effect differs with it
Task value predicted cognitive and regulatory strategy use but not classroom grades, whereas self-efficacy predicted grades in all three subjects [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Immersion in inquiry-based learning significantly increases student teachers' value for procedural knowledge goals and self-efficacy for inquiry, but not substantive knowledge goals [+M] — instruction changes it
Self-efficacy, but not self-reported strategy use, predicts subsequent exam grades in the university course [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
University students' self-efficacy showed no significant change during a unit of short-term prompting in learning journals [-W] — instruction changes it
Mathematics achievement is strongly positively associated with mathematics confidence at the student level (0.43) [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Academic self-efficacy was not significantly associated with final test performance [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Students lack metacognitive awareness of the benefits of errorful learning: the three learning groups did not differ in perceived competence, judgments of learning, or rated method effectiveness even after tests [-W] — instruction changes it
Example–problem pairs raise perceived competence but not perceived autonomy or enjoyment [+M] — instruction changes it
Perceived competence predicts isomorphic test performance and perceived autonomy predicts transfer performance [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
All participants reported higher teaching self-efficacy after the teaching-simulation training [+M] — instruction changes it
Teachers' self-efficacy for SRL promotion shows significant indirect effects on students' self-efficacy, utility value and attainment value via teacher- and student-reported SRL promotion, with no indirect path to cost [+M] — instruction changes it
Endorsement of brilliance-oriented FABs predicts lower self-efficacy among stigmatized students in brilliance-oriented contexts [~M] — instruction changes it
Pedagogical agents significantly improve learners' self-efficacy expectations (g = 0.29), with effects moderated by grade level, facial expressions, and reliability reporting [+M] — instruction changes it
Self-efficacy is moderately related to academic achievement but is more a product of past performance than a driver of future performance [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
In Study 1, differences in self-efficacy between the three conditions did not reach significance [-M] — instruction changes it
Education-focused parenting self-efficacy correlates more strongly with home-school partnership outcomes than general parenting self-efficacy [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Training and interventions improve teachers' cognitive appraisal (d = 0.63), emotional appraisal (d = 0.63), and self-efficacy toward inclusive practices (d = 0.93) [+M] — instruction changes it
Qualitative findings: students initially held inaccurate beliefs about strategy efficacy, and high effort from interleaved practice was misinterpreted as a sign of poor learning [+M] — instruction changes it
Strategy efficacy beliefs shift toward the strategy a student chooses: choosers of blocked practice raised blocked beliefs and lowered interleaved beliefs, and vice versa [+M] — instruction changes it
AHS is frequently associated with self-regulation and self-efficacy, but these associations are not consistent across studies [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teacher-reported relationship conflict, but not closeness, is modestly related to teacher efficacy beliefs and depression, though findings are mixed [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teachers' relational self-efficacy—beliefs in their capability to form, maintain, and repair relationships—is hypothesized to motivate TSR-building, but existing global self-efficacy measures show mixed links to TSR quality [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Belonging may be more predictive of students' classroom participation and learning behavior than self-efficacy [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
During inquiry-informed learning, students' interest, self-efficacy, and belonging were increasingly coordinated over time [+M] — instruction changes it
Interest and self-efficacy are distinct yet reciprocally related in supporting learning [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Higher attainment value with higher academic self-efficacy predicts challenge appraisal, whereas higher attainment value with lower academic self-efficacy predicts threat appraisal [+M] — an instructional effect differs with it
Prior academic self-efficacy and attainment value do not cross-predict each other over the school year [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
School characteristics moderate the self-efficacy–classroom management relationship: smaller slopes in schools with high collective efficacy or high collaboration, larger with more participation [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teachers with higher self-efficacy report higher instructional quality at the individual teacher level, with congruent domain-specific associations [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
The relationship between teacher self-efficacy and self-reported cognitive activation does not vary across investigated school characteristics [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Lockdown was significantly associated with higher disengagement (β = 0.12) but not with self-efficacy among university students [-W] — instruction changes it
Global perceived-SEC is indirectly associated with greater prosocial behavior via autonomous motivation (β = .23), the only significant indirect path [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Global perceived-SEC is positively associated with autonomous motivation, introjected motivation, and prosocial behavior, and negatively with conduct problems [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Perceived competence for social regulation negatively predicts external motivation and conduct problems, and perceived competence for tolerance positively predicts autonomous motivation [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Class-level instructional quality (classroom management, cognitive activation, supportive climate) is positively related to student self-efficacy [+M] — instruction changes it
Teacher self-efficacy is not directly related to student self-efficacy or intrinsic motivation when teacher and student reports are combined at the class level [-W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Class and teacher organization and peer support positively predict self-efficacy, while workload negatively predicts e-learning self-efficacy but positively predicts computer self-efficacy [~W] — instruction changes it
E-learning self-efficacy relates to both positive and negative achievement emotions, while computer self-efficacy relates only to positive emotions [~W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Prior profile research links maladaptive motivational profiles to poorer school adjustment and achievement [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Teacher expectation effects on perceived competence are curvilinear: positive expectations are stronger than negative ones [+M] — instruction changes it
Teachers' early expectations predict students' later perceived competence in physical education beyond students' background characteristics [+W] — instruction changes it

The evidence by question¶

Does a learner's belief that they can succeed at a task predict whether they start and persist, and which goals and feedback raise it? Learners' task-specific self-efficacy beliefs predict whether they initiate, persist through, and recover from difficulty on academic tasks. [+M]
Which instruction raises learners' self-efficacy: close goals, feedback on progress, guided practice? Proximal goals and ability attributional feedback for early learning raise self-efficacy more than distant goals and effort feedback, by a review's report of earlier studies [+M]
Does a gain in reported confidence mean a gain in skill? Self-efficacy judgments correspond less well to behavior in learning settings than in performance settings [+M]

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`learner-variable`
`id`	`self-efficacy`
`title`	`Self-Efficacy`
`description`	`A learner's belief in their own ability to carry out the actions needed to succeed at a particular task or in a particular subject.`
`status`	`review`
`canonical`	`True`
`generated`	by `claude/unspecified` on `2026-10-21`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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