Defining Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is a person's belief in his or her ability to do a behavior (Bandura, 1982; Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy does not refer to people's general beliefs in themselves, such as self-esteem does. It refers to people's beliefs about their abilities in more specific realms, such as their belief in their ability to use computers or ability to conduct a chemistry experiment. Self-efficacy is believed to affect what behaviors people will do and how much effort they will invest in those behaviors (Vuorela & Nummenmaa, 2004). It has been theorized that self-efficacy is an important factor to consider when determining whether students will adopt new technologies (Compeau, Higgins, & Huff, 1999). Even if students are convinced about the benefits a new technology may offer, if they are not confident in their own ability to use them, they may not want to use them (Compeau, Higgins, & Huff, 1999). If self-efficacy is an important precursor to students' attitudes and behaviors, how can instructors help increase it? Research has indicated that when students have successful and positive experiences with similar technologies, their self-efficacy for using those types of technologies increases (Bates & Khasawneh, 2007). When instructors are considering using new technologies for their courses, an understanding of their students' levels of self-efficacy for those technologies and how to maximize self-efficacy should be considered.
Assessing Self-Efficacy for Technology
| Instrument | Instrument Focus | Type of Instrument | Number of Questions | Source | Details | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Self-Efficacy Measure | Self-efficacy for completing a computer task |
Yes/No questions followed by a scale to rate the confidence in ability to complete the task |
10 |
Compeau & Higgins (1995) |
Validated by Compeau, Higgins, & Huff (1999); Johnson & Marakas (2000) |
Has been adapted for other studies (i.e., Bates & Khasawneh (2007) measured self-efficacy for online technology) |
| Computer Self-Efficacy Scale | Self-efficacy for completing basic, advanced, and mainframe computing skills | Likert |
32 |
Murphy et al. (1989) |
Some questions are outdated | |
| Measure of Internet Self-Efficacy | Internet self-efficacy (surfing/browsing, encryption/decryption, & system manipulation) | Likert |
17 |
Torkzadeh & Van Dyke (2001) |
Examples of Studies Examining Self-efficacy
Bates, R., & Khasawneh, S. (2007). Self-efficacy and college students' perceptions and use of online learning systems. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 175-191.
Chau, P. Y. K. (2001). Influence of computer attitude and self-efficacy on IT usage behavior. Journal of End User Computing, 13(1), 26–33.
Llorens, S., Schaufeli, W., Bakker, A., & Salanova, M. (2007). Does a positive gain spiral of resources, efficacy beliefs, and engagement exist? Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 825-841.
Ong, C., & Lai, J. (2006). Gender differences in perceptions and relationships among dominants of e-learning acceptance. Computers in Human Behavior, 22, 816-829.
Further Reading
http://www.chssc.salford.ac.uk/healthSci/selfeff/SELFEFFa.htm
References
Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122–147.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bates, R., & Khasawneh, S. (2007). Self-efficacy and college students' perceptions and use of online learning systems. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 175-191.
Compeau, D. R., & Higgins, C. A. (1995). Computer self-efficacy: Development of a measure and initial test. MIS Quarterly, 19, 189-211.
Compeau, D. R., Higgins, C. A., & Huff, S. (1999). Social cognitive theory and individual reactions to computing technology: A longitudinal study. MIS Quarterly, 23(2), 145-158.
Johnson, R.D., & Marakas, G.M. (2000). Research report: The role of behavior modeling in computer skills acquisition—Toward refinement of the model. Information Systems Research, 11, 402–417.
Murphy, C. A., Coover, D., & Owen, S. V. (1989). Development and validation of the computer self-efficacy scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 49, 893-899.
Torkzadeh, G., & Van Dyke, T. P. (2001). Development and validation of an Internet self-efficacy scale. Behaviour & Information Technology, 20, 275-280.
Vuorela, M., & Nummenmaa, L. (2004). Experienced emotions, emotion regulation and student activity in a web-based learning environment. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 19, 423-436.