Social class privilege and adolescent women’s perceived career options.

This qualitative study examined the perceived career options of 10 White adolescent young women who experienced social class privilege in their families of origin. The model of contextual privilege and career selection for adolescent White women emerged from the data, and it describes how social class privilege, gender, achievement expectations, experiences, and verbal messages may influence perceived occupational possibilities. The model includes 4 categorical groups: (a) Social Class Identity and Perceptions, (b) Shared Perceptions of Achievement and Expectations, (c) Exposure, and (d) Evaluating Career Options. The findings suggest that social class privilege contributes to the perception of numerous career options. Yet it also contributes to a process wherein participants unintentionally limit their career aspirations to a very narrow range of options. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Career self-efficacy expectations and perceived range of career options in community college students.

The first purpose of the present study was to explore the relation of socioeconomic status (SES), race, gender, career self-efficacy, career interests, and sex role orientation to career-choice range in female–male, and non-gender-dominated careers. The second purpose was to determine the relation of SES, race, sex role orientation, gender, and career interests to career self-efficacy. Results indicated that career interest and career self-efficacy expectations significantly predicted range of perceived career options above and beyond the contributions of the other dependent variables. Similarly, career interest and sex role orientation predicted self-efficacy expectations. Recommendations for future investigations of the career self-efficacy model of occupational choice as well as some possible applications of the findings to career counseling are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy as a predictor of academic performance in science

Nursing students have traditionally experienced difficulties with the science subjects in nursing curricula, and irrespective of the institution conducting a nursing programme, this trend appears to be continuing. A satisfactory means of predicting academic performance in these subjects will facilitate the development of educational strategies designed to assist students overcome their difficulties. In this study, an instrument called the Self-Efficacy for Science (SEFS) was developed and tested. The SEFS was designed to predict academic performance in the science areas of a first-year undergraduate nursing course. A cohort of first-year students enrolled in a bachelor of nursing course were surveyed by questionnaire. Students' academic scores for two first-year science subjects were obtained and used as the criterion measure for the study. Principal component factor analysis revealed the SEFS contained six instead of the hypothesized four factors. These six factors could explain 70% of students' self-efficacy for science. Cronbach alpha of the SEFS was 0.9. The SEFS could predict 24% of the cohort's academic performance in a physical science subject and 18.5% for a bioscience subject. Studying science in the final year at high school was not statistically significantly related to the SEFS. Implications for students and future research are discussed.     

The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men.

134 female and 101 male undergraduates were asked to indicate their perceptions of their capabilities to successfully complete the educational requirements and job duties of each of 10 traditionally female and 10 traditionally male occupations. Ss also indicated their degree of interest in and extent of consideration of each occupation. Finally, American College Test Math and English subtest scores were obtained. Results indicate significant and consistent sex differences in self-efficacy with regard to traditional vs nontraditional (for females) occupations: males reported equivalent self-efficacy with regard to the 2 classes of occupations; females reported significantly higher levels of self-efficacy with regard to traditional occupations and significantly lower levels of self-efficacy with regard to nontraditional occupations. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy in relation to occupational consideration and academic performance in high school equivalency students.

A. Bandura's (see PA, Vol 58:5733; see also 1986) self-efficacy theory was tested in relation to occupational consideration and academic performance with 35 High School Equivalency Program students from seasonal farmworker backgrounds. Within-individual and aggregate analyses indicated a moderate to strong relationship between extent of consideration of occupational activities and self-efficacy, interests, and incentives. Individual differences in the strength of the relationship between self-efficacy and extent of consideration were associated with individual differences in generality of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy expectations for academic areas were moderately related to accomplishment and ability, but not to effort, in those areas. The use of incentives as a moderator of the relationship between self-efficacy and occupational consideration illustrated a more complete test of Bandura's theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of interpersonal stress on the prediction of academic performance.

186 military cadets were administered measures of interpersonal stress (Study 1) and test anxiety (Study 2; the Test Anxiety Scale), and their GPAs and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were obtained. Results show that interpersonal stress, generated by competing demands for attention, decreased the power of intellectual ability tests (SAT) to predict academic performance (GPA). Stress in relations with parents and faculty reduced academic performance but did not moderate the correlations between the predictor test and the criterion. Findings have implications for selection research by indicating the need to specify the situations in which tests will best predict intellectual performance. Findings also suggest that cognitions associated with different sources of stress play a significant part in determining the impact of stress on performance. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived locus of control and prediction of own academic performance.

Hypothesized that internals would be more accurate predictors of their own academic achievement. A total of 554 college freshmen and upperclassmen were given Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, and predicted their own GPA for a semester's work during wk. 1, 9, and 16 of that semester. It was found that although the hypothesis was supported for the freshmen group, upperclassmen were better predictors regardless of locus of control. Results suggest that highly salient cues for prediction available to experienced students reduce the effects of locus of control on predictive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of three theoretically derived variables in predicting career and academic behavior: Self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking.

This study explored the differential contribution of three alternative theoretically based variables, self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking, in explaining career-relevant behavior in students considering science and engineering fields. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy was the most useful of the three in predicting grades and persistence in technical/scientific majors, both self-efficacy and congruence contributed to the prediction of range of perceived career options, and congruence alone offered significant incremental variance in explaining career indecision. The three theoretical variables were also interrelated. Implications for practice and the further evaluation of career theories are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and perceived control: Cognitive mediators of pain tolerance.

The cold-pressor task was used with 102 female undergraduates in 2 experiments to determine (a) whether self-efficacy has validity as a true causal determinant of behavior change or is a correlate of change that has already occurred and (b) how perceptions of control and self-efficacy interact to determine choice behavior, persistence, and the impact of an aversive stimulus. Results of Experiment 1 indicate that self-efficacy expectations affected performance beyond what would have been expected from past performance alone. Changes in self-efficacy expectations predicted changes in cold-pressor tolerance. These findings suggest that self-efficacy expectations can be causal determinants of behavior in an aversive situation. Results of Experiment 2 indicate that self-efficacy was separable from control and that performance was best if both high levels of perceived control and self-efficacy were present. These findings support the notion that self-efficacy expectations can mediate the desirability of providing control, in that those who benefit most from control are those who are most confident they can exercise it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis (114 studies, k?=?157, N?=?21,616) examined the relationship between self-efficacy and work-related performance. Results of the primary meta-analysis indicated a significant weighted average correlation between self-efficacy and work-related performance, G(r±)?=?.38, and a significant within-group heterogeneity of individual correlations. To account for this variation, the authors conducted a 2-level theory-driven moderator analysis by partitioning the k sample of correlations first according to the level of task complexity (low, medium, and high), and then into 2 classes according to the type of study setting (simulated-lab vs. actual-field). New directions for future theory development and research are suggested, and practical implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and academic success among ethnically diverse first-generation community college students.

A longitudinal analysis of self-efficacy for education and sociodemographic characteristics was conducted among an ethnically diverse sample of first-generation college students (FGS) attending an urban community college. Baseline rates of self-efficacy for education and first-generation immigrant status significantly predicted increased cumulative grade point average at 1-year follow-up. These findings suggest that self-efficacy for education is an important cognitive resource among ethnically diverse FGS attending community colleges, whose immigrant generation status might have an impact on their educational success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal adjustment and prediction of academic achievement.

The hypothesis tested was that "better" adjusted students would be more predictable than maladjusted students. Predictability was determined by correlation coefficients between aptitude test (CEEB-M and CEEB-V) scores and both 1st-quarter and 1st-yr grades. The sample consisted of 188 freshmen male business students who were classified into positive-, average-, and negative- adjustment groups on the basis of the means of the 10 Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) trait raw scores. Comparisons of the adjustment groups on correlations between the mathematics and verbal scores and grade averages indicated that the adjustment groups did not differ in terms of academic predictability. Analysis of differences between the groups on both high school achievement and college achievement revealed, however, that the positive-adjustment group earned significantly higher grades than the negative group. These results indicated that although the adjustment groups did not appear to be significantly different in terms of academic predictability, a definite relationship did exist between the groups on levels of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer victimization and academic achievement in a multiethnic sample: The role of perceived academic self-efficacy.

This study examines the link between perceived peer victimization and academic adjustment in an ethnically diverse sample of 1,895 Grade 6 students nested within 108 school classes. It was hypothesized that students' academic self-efficacy mediates the (negative) link between victimization experiences and academic achievement outcomes. Multilevel analyses were used to test this hypothesis and to explore whether there are differences between ethnic minority and majority group children. Results indicated that peer victimization was negatively associated with both relative class-based, and absolute test-based measures of academic achievement. These associations were similar across different school classes. As expected, the link between victimization and achievement was mediated by perceived academic self-efficacy, suggesting that victimized students did less well academically because they considered themselves to be less competent. The lower perceived self-efficacy of victimized children could be partly attributed to lower global self-esteem and depressed affect. Results were largely similar for ethnic minority and majority group children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem and self-estimates of academic performance.

Used 3 measures of self-esteem to test the hypothesis that 36 undergraduates with low self-esteem would predict getting lower grades on an examination than 36 high-self-esteem Ss. The hypothesis was confirmed (p     

Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between perceived union barriers and women's participation in union activities.

This study investigated the influence of union self-efficacy (expectations of success in pursuit of union activities) as a mediator of the relationship between perceptions of barriers to union participation and women's participation in union activities (N?=?89). Perceived barriers were defined in 4 domains (community, family, union, work), and self-efficacy was operationalized based on C. Lee and P. Bobko's (1994) analysis of self-efficacy measures (self-efficacy magnitude, self-efficacy strength). Union self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between the magnitude of perceived union barriers and the magnitude of union participation, although mediation was limited to women with weak union self-efficacy. Implications for designing training and intervention programs to enhance women's participation in the face of perceived barriers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and performance in mathematics: Reciprocal determinism in 33 nations.

Reciprocal determinism is a central premise of Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory. Studies of the relationship between self-beliefs and performance tend to draw on this or related theories and usually endorse the notion of reciprocal determinism at a substantive–theoretical level. However, attempts to model this postulated mutual influence of self-beliefs and performance are few and are focused on the relationship between self-concept and performance. The reciprocal determinism of self-efficacy and performance seems to be without direct empirical support, probably because the longitudinal, repeated-measures data often considered necessary for this purpose are not available. It is possible, though, to model reciprocal effects with cross-sectional data. In the analyses reported in this article, the authors achieved this using a structural equation model in which the mutual influence of self-efficacy and performance in mathematics is represented as a feedback loop. This model was estimated in each of 33 nations on the basis of data on the mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics achievement of 15-year-olds. The model was a good fit to the data in 30 nations and was supportive of reciprocal determinism in 24 of these, suggesting a fundamental psychological process that transcends national and cultural boundaries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Desire for control and academic performance.

Examined the relationship of desire for control (DFC) and academic performance. 65 undergraduates completed the Desirability of Control Scale. The Ss were asked to estimate their grade point average (GPA) for the current quarter and entire academic year, to estimate the number of hours they studied per week, and how important grades were to them. Two years later, the academic records of 54 Ss who gave permission were examined. High DFC Ss had higher grades than low DFC Ss. 84.6% of the students in the sample who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better during the 2-yr period were high DFC students. High DFC Ss indicated they placed greater importance on grades and studied more per week than did low DFC Ss. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prefrontal cognitive ability, intelligence, Big Five personality, and the prediction of advanced academic and workplace performance.

Studies 1 and 2 assessed performance on a battery of dorsolateral prefrontal cognitive ability (D-PFCA) tests, personality, psychometric intelligence, and academic performance (AP) in 2 undergraduate samples. In Studies 1 and 2, AP was correlated with D-PFCA (r=.37, pg) and personality. Studies 3 and 4 assessed D-PFCA, personality, and workplace performance among (a) managerial-administrative workers and (b) factory floor workers at a manufacturing company. Prefrontal cognitive ability correlated with supervisor ratings of manager performance at values of r ranging from .42 to .57 (ps     

Approval motive and self-estimates of academic performance.

Selected 50 high- and low-approval-motivated undergraduates based on Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale scores. Ss were asked to estimate what their performance would be on a course examination after having numerous similar exams in the preceding months on which to base their estimates. Results indicate that high-approval-motivated Ss were significantly more accurate in their expectancy ratings and lower in their numerical estimates than low-approval-motivated Ss. However, both groups overestimated actual test performance. Theoretical implications and suggestions for methodological modifications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic achievement and self-evaluations of academic performance.

College students often make informal evaluations of their own course performance. Previous research has shown that the accuracy of these self-evaluations is correlated positively with actual course achievement; however, no one has yet explained why such a relationship exists. It was hypothesized that poor students make less accurate performance evaluations because they know less about the criteria by which their work will be judged. To test that hypothesis, 52 students in an introductory psychology course graded their own work and that of others on both a midterm and a final examination and described their instructor's grading criteria on each occasion. As expected, poor students were less accurate than others at evaluating their own course performance. Poor and good students did not differ, however, in their ability to accurately evaluate the performance of others. The relative inaccuracy of the poor students' self-evaluations was not due to a lack of knowledge about the instructor's grading criteria, but instead involved a failure to apply those criteria to their own course work. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)