Self-Efficacy

The present study was intended to investigate the roles of test-taking strategies, critical thinking, and self-efficacy in the language proficiency of the female Iranian Ph.D. students at Islamic Azad University (IAU), Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran. The participants of the study, who were 98 Ph.D. students from a range of disciplines, were getting ready to sit for the English Proficiency Test (EPT) as a partial requirement for the completion of their courses and take the Comprehensive Exam subsequently. These participants were required to complete the test-taking strategies, critical thinking, and self-efficacy questionnaires, one questionnaire per session, towards the end of their English course with the present researcher. They also took a sample of EPT for their final exam. Standard multiple regression was conducted to see how well self-efficacy, critical thinking, and test-taking strategies could predict the participants’ language proficiency. The obtained results revealed that language proficiency had strong, positive, and significant correlations with critical thinking, test-taking strategies, and self-efficacy. Moreover, it was found that all the three independent variables were significant predictors of language proficiency, with critical thinking being the best predictor, test-taking strategies the second, and self-efficacy the third. The significance of these results lies in the fact that individual attributes like critical thinking, self-efficacy, and test-taking strategies play a significant role in the success of students when it comes to language proficiency.       

This quantitative study intended to investigate Iranian EFL Teachers' attitudes towards the use of instructional technology in their classroom and its impact on their self-efficacy. Eighty teachers were surveyed using Teacher Sense of Self-Efficacy Survey (TSES) and the Media Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale (MTUAS). The first research question was designed to examine teachers' attitudes towards the use of instructional technology within the classroom and its effects on their self-efficacy and concerning the subscales of teacher self-efficacy, the findings significantly predicted the impacts of the use of instructional technology on teachers’ self-efficacy. In addition, after analyzing the data using Multiple Regression Analysis, it was further discovered that teacher self-efficacy had a significant relationship with the ability to integrate all of the sub-groups: smartphones, the internet, social media, texting, and email; The results showed that emails and smartphones, two subscales of media questionnaire, could highly predict the significant impacts of the use of integrated technology on teachers' self-efficacy. The findings suggested that training for technology-related components may not need to focus on how to use the technologies, but focusing more on how the technologies can benefit the classroom and help learners to improve their learning within the classroom.

INTRODUCTION: It is an indisputable fact that people who live in societies will always need each other. In this regard, the members of a society should try to decrease the problems and difficulties of the community by participating in voluntary services. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of self-efficacy with mindfulness and empathy in volunteers of the Red Crescent society in Saveh, Iran. METHODS: This practical study was conducted based on a descriptive-survey method. The population included 100 experts and key members of the Sistan and Baluchistan Crisis Management Coordination Council. In total 80 cases were selected using Cochran's formula and purposive (snowball) sampling method. The data were collected through a 46-item researcher-made questionnaire. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts, and the reliability of the questionnaire was estimated at 0.94 using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which indicated acceptable reliability of this scale. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) through multiple regression to evaluate the research hypotheses. FINDINGS: Based on the results, mindfulness (P<0.05, r=0.468) and expressive empathy (P<0.01, r=0.207) had a positive and significant relationship with self-efficacy; however, empathy did not have a relationship with other variables. Moreover, out of the subscales of empathy, empathy for others (P<0.05, r=-0.138) and control (P<0.01, r=-0.210) had a negative relationship with self-efficacy. The mindfulness variable was significant in the prediction of self-efficacy (F=25.353) which explains about 21.8% of the variance of the criterion variable. Moreover, the component of emotional stability was significant in the prediction of self-efficacy (F=16.379) which explains about 5% of the variance of the criterion variable. Therefore, with a coefficient of determination of 51.7% the changes in self-efficacy are explained by mindfulness and the component of emotional stability. CONCLUSION: According to the findings, the variables of mindfulness and the component of emotional stability can significantly predict self-efficacy. Furthermore, mindfulness with a beta of 0.467 had the greatest effect on self-efficacy.

INTRODUCTION: Today, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is highly important to save the lives of people in need of CPR by those present at the scene, and it is useful to study new training tools in this field. This study aimed to determine and compare the effect of basic CPR face-to-face and electronic training on the self-efficacy of high school students. METHODS: This randomized controlled field trial study was conducted on second-grade high school students in Tabas, Iran, referring to high schools by an announced call. The samples (n=62) were randomly selected and divided into two groups of e-learning and face-to-face training (n=31 each). Both groups completed the Basic Resuscitation Skills Self-Efficacy Scale at the baseline and 1 week and 2 months after the training intervention. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) using statistical measures of mean and standard deviation and statistical tests of t-test, Chi-square, and repeated measures analysis of variance. FINDINGS: The results showed that both e-learning and face-to-face training methods significantly increased the self-efficacy of high school students in CPR in 1 week and 2 months after training. In addition, a significant difference was observed between the two methods regarding the mean score of basic CPR self-efficacy 1 week after the intervention (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the benefits of e-learning on students' CPR learning, this method should be used seriously for basic CPR self-efficacy training.

Purpose : The present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between problem solving skills with self-efficacy and social adjustment of Kermanshah female students. Methodology : This research in terms of purpose was applied and in terms of implementation method was cross-sectional from type of correlational. The study population was female high school students in Kermanshah city in the 2021-2 academic year with number 4100 people, that the sample size based on Krejcie and Morgan table was estimated 350 people who were selected by cluster method. Data were collected with using the problem solving skills inventory (Hepner and Patterson, 1982), self-efficacy scale (Scherer et al., 1982) and social adjustment subscale in adjustment inventory (Sinha & Singh, 1993) and their face validity was confirmed by experts and their reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha method were obtained 0/80, 0.82 and 0.87, respectively. To analyze the data were used from the methods of Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression with enter model in SPSS software. Finding : The findings showed that problem solving skills and its dimension including problem solving confidence, approach-avoidance style and personal control had a positive and significant correlation with self-efficacy and social adjustment of female students. Also, the findings showed that the dimensions of problem solving skills were able to significantly predict the self-efficacy and social adjustment of female students (P<0.001). Conclusion : The results indicated the effective role of problem solving skills in predicting self-efficacy and social adjustment of female students. Therefore, education system specialists and planners to improve their self-efficacy and social adjustment can promote their problem-solving skills.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of autonomy support (i.e., in the form of self-controlled feedback) on learning and self-efficacy in a throwing skill in adolescents with ADHD. The subjects were 40 adolescents with ADHD (14 to 17 years old) and were randomly and equally divided into two groups: self-controlled and yoked. Motor task consisted of throwing bean bags with the non-dominant arm at a target on the ground. The participants completed the pretest (10 trials), an acquisition phase including 6 blocks of 10 trials, and a retention test consisting of 10 trials. The participants in the self-controlled group received knowledge of result (KR) anytime the requested. The yoked group was matched with self-controlled group, but without having a choice to request for feedback. Prior to pretest, each block, and before the retention test, all participants completed the self-efficacy scale. Dependent measures were throwing accuracy scores and self-efficacy. Independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures were used to analyze the data. The results showed that participants in the self-controlled group had significantly higher throwing accuracy scores in the acquisition phase and the retention test than those in yoked group. Moreover, participants in the self-controlled group reported significantly higher self-efficacy scores in the acquisition phase and the retention test than those in yoked group. The results of this study show that people with ADHD benefit from autonomy support to learn a novel motor skill.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of positive social-comparative feedback on motor learning and self-efficacy of a throwing motor skill in individuals with ADHD. The subjects were 44 adolescents with ADHD in the age range of 15 to 18 years old and were randomly and equally divided into two groups: positive social-comparative feedback and control group. Motor task consisted of throwing bean bags with the non-dominant arm at a target on the ground. The participants completed the pretest (10 trials), an acquisition phase including 6 blocks of 10 trials, and a retention test consisting of 10 trials. The participants in the positive social comparison feedback group were informed that their throws on the previous block were, on average, better than the throws of the other participants in this group. Prior to pretest, each block, and before the retention test, all participants completed the self-efficacy scale. Dependent measures were throwing accuracy scores and self-efficacy. Independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures were employed to analyze the data. Positive social comparison feedback group throwed the bean bags significantly better in the acquisition phase and the retention test compared to the control group. In addition, positive social comparison feedback group reported significantly higher self-efficacy scores in the acquisition phase and the retention test in comparison to the control group. Our findings indicated that enhanced expectancies benefited individuals with ADHD to enhance their performance and learn a novel motor skill

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between online game addiction and self-efficacy, creativity and social skills. The statistical population included all female high school students in Rudsar who were studying in 2020-2021. From this community, 150 people were selected by convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included the Online Game Addiction Questionnaire, Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, the Creativity Questionnaire, and the Social Skills Questionnaire. In this study, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression and SPSS-22 software were used for data analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the components of online game addiction (academic and occupational performance problems and social and mood problems) were able to achieve 48.8% of the variance of self-efficacy, 43.3% of the variance of creativity and 27.4% of the variance of skills Predict students' social (p˂0.05). Therefore, the results of this study show the importance of paying attention to online game addiction in students and its prevention can be associated with positive psychological variables.

The idea that individual characteristics impact the language learning process has led scholars to consider various aspects in relation to learners and their learning. The current study explored the associations among EFL learners’ language learning strategy use, instrumental motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulation, autonomy, and L2 achievement. To do this, 220 Iranian EFL learners (95 males and 125 females) took part in the study by filling out five questionnaires related to the abovementioned variables. The learners’ GPAs were also collected and adjusted and regarded as their L2 achievement. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the causal relationships among the variables. The results showed that the use of language learning strategies, self-efficacy, and autonomy were significant positive predictors of L2 achievement. However, instrumental motivation and self-regulation did not predict L2 achievement. Furthermore, L2 achievement had the highest positive association with autonomy and the lowest positive association with self-regulation. The results are discussed in detail and the implications are presented.

Language teaching and language training are integral parts of the educational curriculum in every language centers around the world. Offices, companies, and educational centers should update themselves to keep the current progression and try to help their employees to refresh their minds based on educational development. Hence, this study explored the effectiveness of different in-service training programs on EFL teachers' empowerment concerning two factors: self-efficacy and innovation and creativity held in Khuzestan- Iran. To this end, 30 EFL teachers were selected through convenient sampling related to their experiences in each of the programs- E-learning, Class-based, and Blended ones. The participants were divided into three groups of 10 – Class-based, group A., E-learning, group B., and the experiences of the two classes (A & B), group C.  An interview with 8 open-ended questions was conducted. First, all interviews were transcribed, summarized, categorized, and analyzed. Then, the derived themes were coded and analyzed through content analysis. The findings uncovered that about 80% of the participants leaned to participate in Traditional in-service class (class-based) since it had a great impact on teachers to develop and fortify their educational empowerment. Therefore, policymakers and educational centers should raise their awareness on the notion of teachers' empowerment while emphasizing on, at least, Traditional programs instead of the current E-learning and the blended ones.

This study investigated the relationships between Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their self-efficacy. For this purpose, 154 Iranian EFL teachers were selected through purposeful sampling and completed the 27-item teachers’ conceptions of assessment scale (TCoA) (Brown, 2006), and the 24-item teachers’ self-efficacy scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001). Multiple regression analysis and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The results showed that teachers considered assessment as a tool to determine how much have their students learned from instruction, assessment results can be used to modify teaching practices and assessment processes may be inaccurate. Moreover, they argued that assessment is an indicator of school performance and, at the same time, assessment results should be treated cautiously. In addition, the results showed that Iranian EFL teachers had a high level of self-efficacy, were good at asking appropriate questions and answering students’ difficult questions, can assess students’ learning, and provide alternative explanations and examples when learners are confused. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that school accountability and irrelevance predicted students’ engagement, students’ accountability predicted classroom management and improvement predicted instructional strategies. These results may have some implications for EFL teachers' professional development.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to consider the goodness of fit of a structural model of the relationship between teachers' job motivation and their social capital and social-emotional skills with mediation of self-efficacy. Methodology: The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included female teachers working in the 10th and 5th districts of Tehran in the second secondary school in academic year 2020-2021. Two hundred and fifty teachers were randomly selected via the multi-stage method. Data collected using four questionnaires: Hackman and Oldham's social capital (1976), Nahapit and Ghasal's social capital (1998), Sherer's general self-efficacy (1982), and Tom's social-emotional skills questionnaires (2012). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings showed that the structural model was fitted with collected data. Social capital, social-emotional skills and self- efficacy positively and significantly predicts the teacher's job motivation. In addition, self-efficacy mediates the relationship between teacher's job motivation and social-emotional skills and social capital. In total, 35% of the variance of job motivation is explained by predictor variables. Conclusion: Educational psychologists are advised to consider the role of teachers' self-efficacy, social capital, and socio-emotional skills in order to enhance their job motivation.

Teachers’ classroom management plays a potent role in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, especially in relation to other psychological variables, namely self-efficacy and personality types. Consequently, the present study aimed at generating a structural equation model of evidence to better illustrate the relationship among classroom management, self-efficacy, and personality types as well as the pertinent sub-scales. A sample of 249 Iranian EFL teachers completed three questionnaires including the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Type, and Teacher Efficacy Scale. The structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the schematic illustration confirmed the hypothesized model (x2df = 1.28; RMSEA=.03; RMR =.03; GFI =.98; AGFI=.95; NFI =.98; CFI =.99; IFI =.99; TLI=.98), revealing significant internal interplay among the classroom management approaches, self-efficacy, personality types, and their sub-scales. The results of multiple regression further confirmed the direction of the path model illuminating the predictability power of the teachers’ personality types and their self-efficacy concerning the EFL teachers’ classroom management approaches. In other words, EFL teachers’ personality types and self-efficacy can predict their classroom management approaches. The study offered pedagogical implications for teachers, policymakers, and stockholders.

AbstractThe resilience of teachers has arisen as a crucial issue in developing exceptional teaching and learning experiences. It is imperative to foster resilience, which entails the capacity to endure and overcome obstacles and challenges encountered during the teaching process. Additionally, research has demonstrated that the self-efficacy of instructors is pivotal in this regard. To investigate these features, this research aimed to inspect the role of International English Language Testing System (IELTS) teachers' resilience and self-efficacy. To this end, a total of 60 IELTS teachers were chosen from Oxford Language Center, Tehran, Iran thanks to the convenient sampling and they completed a self-efficacy scale, and a resilience scale and were assigned to experimental and control groups that the former were trained through self-efficacy workshop training course in Oxford IELTS center in Tehran, Iran. The findings of this study through running an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) indicated a constructive effect of self-efficacy on IELTS teachers' resilience after the workshop training course (F (1,57) = 60.00, p = .000 < .01, partial eta squared = .513, representing a large effect size). Correspondingly, it was revealed through Pearson Product-Moment Correlation that there is a positive and significant correlation between IELTS teachers’ self-efficacy and resilience (r = .462, p = .01 < .05). This study helps IELTS teachers improve their resilience. In line with these findings, some implications were presented to language stakeholders to consider the role of teacher self-efficacy.

Open Soft Software brings about a powerful learning environment, and it transforms the learning and teaching process in which students deal with knowledge in an active and self-directed way. However, over-reliance on conventional methods, lack of awareness, skills, knowledge, among others, are factors militating against the adoption of OSS for learning. This study examines the self-efficacy in the use of open-source software for instruction among undergraduate pre-service teachers in Lagos State. The population for this study were pre-service teachers in all universities in Lagos State. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the universities from where the student samples were drawn based on public universities that are on campus. The instrument for data collection was an adapted questionnaire. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to answer the research question and test the stated hypothesis with the aid of stastistical product and service solution (SPSS) version 20.0 at 0.05 level of significant . The findings indicated that undergraduates have low self-efficacy in the use of open-source software for instruction. Also, significant difference exists between male and female pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy on OSS for instruction in Lagos State. This study concluded that most pre-service teachers in Lagos State did not have the skills necessary to use OSS for learning. Therefore, the study recommended that government should organise training for pre-service teachers on the use of OSS for learning. Key words: Self-efficacy, Open-Source Software, ICT, Gender and Constraints

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a rapid shift to online learning, making the community of inquiry (COI) framework increasingly relevant for creating meaningful and effective online learning experiences. However, the impact of COI presences (i.e., teaching, social, and cognitive presence) on students' learning outcomes has been inconsistent in the literature, and a recent meta-analysis has identified a publication bias in this relationship suggesting the need for further investigation. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of how the COI presence influences college students' learning outcomes and whether it has a mediating role in the effect of self-efficacy and motivation on e-learner’s academic achievement. In this cross-sectional study, using a correlational research design, among all graduate students studying in online courses, a total of 269 graduate students were selected from online programs in seven public universities in Iran between April 2022 and June 2023, to be the sample of the study. The data were obtained from the answers to the community of inquiry (COI) scale, self- efficacy scale, academic motivation scale and students’ last semester grade point average. To examine the questions of the study, a path analysis was applied whose results showed that motivation and self-efficacy affected the community of inquiry positively (p<0.000). Also, the community of inquiry affected learning performance positively (p<0.000). The outcomes can provide significant theoretical and practical contributions to the key stakeholders to design a satisfying and successful online curriculum for the post-COVID-19 era and offer valuable insights into the design of productive online learning communities.

Background: Observational learning is an effective pedagogical approach that can be used as a method to improve motor skill acquisition and also a useful instrument to promote psychological variables such as self-efficacy by emphasizing the motivational aspect. Although, little research is known about the model type and the observation conditions which will optimize learning. Aim: This study aimed to clarify the effect of using a combination of ideal model-observation and self-observation on self-efficacy and learning the forehand service of table tennis. Materials and Methods: Forty females were assigned to one of four experimental groups. All groups received the same instructions concerning how to perform the task, filled out a self-efficacy questionnaire, and then performed 10 pre-test trials. The acquisition phase included six sessions. The retention test was done 72 hours after the last acquisition session. Mixed ANOVA with repeated measures and Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted, and one-way ANOVA was used to determine group significant differences. Results: The results indicated that observing the combination of skilled and learning models led to the highest self-efficacy for learning, compare with other experimental models. Also, significant learning of the task was shown in the acquisition phase in which the performance of all three experimental groups was clearly superior to the control group. Although in this phase there was no significant difference between the performances of two groups of combined skilled-learning and skilled. The results of the delayed retention test indicated that the performance scores of the combined skilled-learning group were significantly higher than the other three groups. Also, in this phase, the difference between the combined skilled self-observation and control or skilled groups was not significant. Conclusion: Demonstrating a skilled model is the most popular type of observational learning among the instructors and physical education teachers, it is suggested that adding a learning model to that leads to better performance and enhancing the self-efficacy.

Learners’ self-efficacy (SE) is one of the vital driving forces for academic learning in general and English language learning in specific. Furthermore, learners’ SE can influence their self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategy use both positively and negatively. This study, which adapted the post-positivist perspective for the research design, aims at finding out EFL students’ SE in English language skills, SRLL strategy use, and their relationship between the two mentioned variables. A cohort of 240 EFL students from a Vietnam-based high school partook in responding to the closed-ended questionnaire. The software SPSS was employed to process the gleaned data from questionnaires in terms of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. The findings were that high school EFL students’ SE in English language skills positively influenced their SRLL strategy use. They had a high level of SE in English language skills, resulting in the high frequency of SRLL strategy use. Pedagogical implications in relation to students’ SE in English language skills and SRLL strategy use are suggested in an attempt to leverage the quality of English language teaching and learning in the research context and other similar EFL ones.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to explore pre-service EFL teachers’ conceptions and self-efficacy for effective online teaching and (b) to determine their instructors’ conceptions of online teaching effectiveness and their approaches to preparing them for effective online teaching. The participants were 100 MA students of TEFL and 6 teacher educators at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST). The data collection instrument was a questionnaire with 40 principles of effective online teaching classified into 7 categories of facilitating learning, interaction, deep learning, relationship, resources, engagement, and organization followed by two open-ended questions. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to examine teacher educators’ conceptions of online teaching effectiveness. The results revealed that pre-service teachers considered themselves more self-efficacious in fostering relationship while less in maintaining organization in online English language classes. To be an effective online teacher, they also held the view that teachers need to establish a friendly atmosphere and relationship, provide useful materials, have adequate technological knowledge, give prompt feedback, and engage learners in their learning process. For teacher educators, effective online teaching was having adequate technological knowledge, providing appropriate content, establishing an online presence, successful classroom management, and having positive perceptions of online teaching.

Self-efficacy beliefs can be effective in teaching method and more creative managing classroom. Teacher self-efficacy and creativity are factors that can affect their organizational Silence.Because teacher silence is closely related to innovation and creativity, the quality of decision-making, effectiveness, and teacher’ morale;Thereforeidentifying the factors that cause it is very important.The aim of this study is applied research;and in terms of research method, it is a description of the type of correlation. The statistical population of this study is all primary school teachers in Joghatay city in Iran, whose numbers are equal to 360 people in the 2018-2019 educational year. 186 people were considered as the research by cluster random sampling method. The tools used in this study include the Scannan, Moran, and Wolfonk Self-Efficacy Questionnaire the Cronbach's alpha coefficientwas 0/85.The Randsip Creativity Questionnaire(2002) was also used to measure creativity the Cronbach's alpha coefficientwas 0/86.The Organizational Silence Questionnaire of Vacula and Borado (2005) also usedthe Cronbach's alpha coefficientwas0/93.Findings showed is asignificant relationship between self-efficacy with organizational silence and teachers' creativity.Self-efficacy has a positive and direct effect on organizational silence. In addition, silence also had a positive and direct effect on organizational creativity. The indirect effect of self-efficacy on creativity was also investigated.self-efficacy due to silence has an indirect and positive effect on teachers' creativity.